


The Accident

by spaceorphan



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Angst, Babies, F/M, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-16 13:11:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 81,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2270979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceorphan/pseuds/spaceorphan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU with a season three backdrop. Pam finds herself pregnant. Shenanigans ensue from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since the archive that I used to hold this is shutting down soon, I'm gonna post here for preservation's sake. 
> 
> Ah Office fandom, you were a sweet little fandom once upon a time ago.
> 
> (This story was complete years ago, but I'll update once a day for old times sake)

Pam stared at the two pink stripes. It couldn’t be possible, she thought. But it could; after all, this was the third test she had taken. The first one, which she purchased after figuring out she was three weeks late, showed a little plus sign. She was completely in denial at that point and decided that the pregnancy test was wrong, so she ignored the results. Then, a few days ago, after being a month late, and unusually irritable and tired, she bought a second one. It was a different test, one with stripes instead of pluses but the second line, the one that was supposed to indicated a pregnancy, was faded and therefore Pam felt it was inconclusive. The third test had two, clear pink lines. 

Pam Beesly was most definitely, and without a doubt, pregnant. 

“Okay, okay, so what’s the big problem?” her best friend Isabelle asked. It was almost an hour after Pam had taken the test. Feeling incredibly overwhelmed about everything, she called Isabelle because she had to tell someone.

Pam had been pacing the kitchen when Isabelle arrived. “This is,” she said, holding up the pregnancy test, not even waiting for Isabelle to take off her coat. “You see, I’m not sure if that second line is real because I’ve been staring at it so long and I’m convinced I have double vision. So, I needed a second opinion.”

“Oh my god!” Isabelle said, her eyes wide. She grabbed the pregnancy test away from Pam. “Um, there are definitely two lines there.” Then it dawned on her that she was holding a pregnancy test. “Oh, and ew, you peed on this thing.” She quickly threw it in the trash. “I need to wash my hands.”

“I’m really pregnant,” Pam said, stunned, as if the idea was finally sinking in. She leaned against the counter where Isabelle was washing her hands with dish soap.

“Yeah, you are,” Isabelle responded. Out of all Isabelle’s friends, Pam was the last one she thought would ever get pregnant before she was married. “Do you want another test just to be sure?”

“That is the third test,” Pam informed her. “So, I guess I’m pretty sure.”

“Oh, Pam,” Isabelle said. “What are you going to do?”

“Have a baby,” Pam gave. Truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do. Sure, she knew she wanted children some day but she had hoped to be married first, or at least in some sort of relationship. She was most definitely single and most definitely on her own. And, as the idea was now settling into her, most definitely pregnant. 

“Well, you do have a couple of options,” Isabelle said, drying her hands off on a towel. She shook off her jacket and placed it on the counter, she was going to be there for a while. “Adoption, abortion…” 

Pam placed her hands on her stomach. There was something growing there, she realized. Something that was a part of her, something she made. As much as the idea of taking care of it scared her, she didn’t think she could give it up. “No,” she said shaking her head. “I think I want it.”

“Alright then,” Isabelle said. “There’s plenty to do.” She scrounged around Pam’s junk drawer for a scrap piece of paper and a pen. “We’ll make a list.”

Pam nodded, organization helped ease off the shock. “Okay, okay,” she said. “Well, I’ll need to make an appointment with my doctor,” she said as Isabelle scribbled the list items down on the paper. “And I’ll want to stop by the bookstore and get some books because I clearly have no idea what I’m doing. Oh, I probably should call my mom…”

“Have you told Roy?” Isabelle asked as she continued to write. 

“Um,” Pam stalled. Isabelle stopped writing to stare at her. “Well, I’m not sure if Roy really needs to know.”

Isabelle gave her a confused look. “Well, Pam, if he’s the father, then you probably should…” Isabelle’s jaw dropped as Pam slowly shook her head. “Roy’s not the father?”

“I left Roy pretty much at the alter in June,” Pam explained. “It’s now mid-October. You do the math.”

“Oh my god,” Isabelle said for the second time. “You had sex with some guy and didn’t tell me?”

Pam half-heartedly shrugged. “Well, it was just one night and I didn’t think it counted…as…anything.” 

“You had a one night stand and didn’t tell me?” That was almost more unbelievable than Pam being pregnant. “Oh my god, Pam! Who’s the father?”

\--

150 miles east of Pam, the father, though he had no idea that he was going to be one yet, was doing what he did every Friday afternoon, staring out at the ocean, wishing he was somewhere else. 

Jim Halpert was bored. He had done a decent job of selling paper that day, maybe even a better job than the day before. He could have easily put in a few more calls that afternoon but he was feeling lazy and the mood to actually try at his job hadn’t struck him a long time. He was also disappointed that the prank he had tried to pull that morning had failed miserably. Sure, he was aware that Andy may not have been the best target, with his anger management issues and all, but he had been itching to try the stapler in Jell-O for months now, and he felt Andy was the only one he could get away with pulling it on. 

Of course, it backfired and Andy went crazy, nearly destroying everything in the office. But at least Jim had found it funny; until Andy kicked his trash can across the room. Everyone else in the room just stared. Not a single soul found the prank amusing. He sighed, maybe there was something wrong with him and not the rest of the world as he had always thought.

“Hey,” Jim turned around to see Karen leaning against his desk. Karen had been a new hire to the company a few months ago. Since they were the only two close in age at the office, they had struck up a friendship. 

“Hey,” he said with a forced smile. 

“So, I’m guessing that was you with the Jell-O?” she said with a grin on her face. “Nice. A little amateurish but a good try,” she teased.

“Amateurish,” he returned. His ego was a little hurt by that. “That was a brilliant prank.”

“Maybe if your target wasn’t Andy,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, you had to have seen that coming.”

Jim shrugged indifferently. “It’s not like any of you have a sense of humor anyway,” he joked.

“So,” Karen shifted uneasily. Jim knew what was coming; he had sensed Karen had been trying to get the nerve to ask him out for a while. He had contemplated asking her out but for some reason, he never got around to doing it. “What are you doing tonight? Want to go catch a movie or something?”

“I don’t know,” he said. Karen frowned and Jim felt a little bit bad.

“C’mon,” she said, a little whine in her voice. “What are you going to do anyway? Sit around like you always do and watch some sports thing. Maybe it’s time you inject a little bit of fun into your life. And, besides, I have, like, been here for months and still don’t have that many friends. It’d be nice to go out on a Friday night for a change.”

“Alright, Filippelli,” Jim gave in. He liked Karen. He really did, so there wasn't any reason not to go. She was right; it’d be nice to have some fun for a change. “But no chick flicks.”

“What about chick flicks masquerading as raunchy comedies?” Karen suggested. “I heard the new Judd Apetow one was good. You know that one where Katherine Heigl gets pregnant after a one night stand.”

Jim fazed for a second, as if remembering something he had forgotten. “No,” Jim said, pushing the buried memory aside. “Something has got to blow up in it.”

Karen rolled her eyes. “God, you are such a guy. What about…”

The argument continued all the way to the movie theater.


	2. Chapter 2

...7 Weeks Earlier...

Promising. That’s what Josh had called him. That’s why Jim was at the convention, because his boss, Josh, had called him a promising young man. He was flattered that Josh thought highly of him, and understood that the compliment was indeed sincere, but he knew the real reason Josh had asked him go was due to the fact that there was no one else. Miles, the assistant regional manager before him, left a few months ago to start his own company. Karen was too new to take the position. Andy was too insane. So, Jim, without even applying for it, got the job because he was a promising young man, who, whether he liked it or not, had a promising career in business. 

And that’s how he ended up in Philadelphia, at the Annual North-Eastern Mid-Market Office Supply Convention. It wasn’t his ideal way to spend a weekend, especially since he liked to think about work as little as possible in his free time, but at least he was out of Stamford for a change. And if he were feeling ambitious enough, maybe he’d go out to a museum for a little culture or at least out to a bar. 

First, though, he had to suffer through meetings upon meetings with various office supply companies, something that he wasn’t looking forward to. Josh and Jim were currently standing in the center of the crowded hotel lobby. Jan Levinson, their regional director, was with them, having met them promptly when she said she would. But Michael Scott, the regional manager of the Scranton branch, was late and Jan was not happy. 

“Where have you been?” Jan seethed when Michael showed up an hour late. Jim had met Michael a few times before and based on his prior actions, Jim was not surprised by Michael's tardiness. 

“You are looking lovely today,” Michael said, ignoring the question and attempting to take Jan’s hand and kiss it. 

Jan pulled away. “And where’s Dwight? I thought he was supposed to be with you.”

“Oh,” Michael said. “Dwight had some sort of beet emergency and he had to stay at his farm this weekend. So, I brought my lovely assistant Pam with me.”

As Michael spoke, a girl about Jim’s age appeared beside him holding what looked like all of Michael’s luggage. At first glance, Jim didn’t notice much about her. She was cute but in a plain way. Her hair was up in a gold barrette and she wore a dark blue cardigan and navy pencil skirt. 

“Michael,” she spoke sternly, as if speaking to a child. “The guy at the desk said you had only booked one room. So, I went ahead and booked another one.”

“C’mon, Pam,” Michael frowned. “I thought it would be fun if you and I were roommates.”

“No, Michael,” she said firmly. 

“Wait,” Jan interjected. “You brought your receptionist?” she looked livid. “This convention is for managers. What is Pam going to do?”

“She’s going to be my hot assistant,” Michael replied as if the answer was obvious. “I mean, all great salesmen have hot assistants…well, granted, if we really were going to go hot hot, we would have brought Pam come a couple of years ago…Anyway, sex sells, Jan. You should know that.”

Pam looked mortified. Jim felt bad for her. 

“Michael, stop,” Jan snapped. She let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I’m sure we can find something for her to do. Come on, let’s get everything up to the rooms and we’ll meet down here in a half hour.”

Jan took off for the elevator, Michael following diligently and Josh trailing slightly behind. Pam, however, was struggling with the massive amount of luggage. 

“Here, let me help you with that,” Jim said, taking two of the smaller bags and swinging them over his shoulder. 

“Thank you,” Pam responded gratefully. She smiled at him and that’s when he saw it. There was genuine kindness in her smile, something he didn’t see in girls very often. He thought she was beautiful when she smiled like that and found it a shame that she was probably one of those girls who hid her attractiveness behind the cardigans and pencil skirts. He realized he was staring when she turned away, blushing slightly. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear before she spoke again. “Um, yeah, Michael, he’s a bit much,” she stumbled over her words. He was amused that he was making her flustered. “He doesn’t know the meaning of pack light.”

“Yeah, what’s in here, bricks?” he joked as they headed towards the elevator.

“”Bricks no,” she said with an easy laugh. “However, he did bring a video camera and a discoball.”

He let out a hearty laugh. “I’m Jim Halpert, by the way,” he said, finally introducing himself as he pushed the up button for the elevator. 

“Pam Beesly,” she replied. “Nice to meet you.”

She smiled brightly at him again and Jim thought that maybe the conference might not be so bad.

\--

She was at her desk sketching. She had been reading one of the many baby books she had picked up over the weekend but when Kelly came up to Ryan’s desk, she thought it would be best if she hid the baby book. There was no need for any one in the office to know that she was pregnant, especially Kelly. She was grateful, however, that Michael and Dwight were on a sales call, which meant the office would at least be calmer for a few hours.

Pam thought about art school as she sketched. It hadn’t dawned on her until she went to class the previous night that she may have to give her hobby up, at least for a while. Tuition was paid for through the semester but she wasn’t sure that with the baby coming if she could afford another one. She was already thinking of getting another job just to help with bills. 

She pulled out a small notebook from her purse, one she had gotten to list everything she had to think about in preparation for the baby, and wrote down ‘art financing’ in the column marked for things she would have to eventually make some sort of decision on. There were quite a few things listed in that column, none of which she really wanted to think about dealing with, especially the one in the top spot: tell the father. 

She hadn’t told anyone before admitting to Isabelle that she had a one-night stand. Most people who knew her wouldn’t have believed her anyway. She wasn’t the sort to go sleeping around with men she didn’t know. But Jim had been different. He hadn’t felt like some random guy. He was…Jim. She couldn’t help but get a goofy grin on her face when she thought of him. Baby or no baby, she didn’t regret that night. 

She dug through her purse again looking for the business card he had given her. She knew she didn’t throw it away and panicked a little when she couldn’t find it. But it was there, buried under everything else in the purse. She pulled it out and stared at the gold letters reading Jim Halpert. His office information was there as well and scribbled underneath in black pen was his cell phone number along with a little smiley face. Her heart began to race at just the thought of calling him. 

She had contemplated calling him before, right after she had gotten back from the convention but nerves had gotten the best of her and the business card remained at the bottom of her purse. Isabelle assured her it wouldn’t be so bad, like ripping off a band-aide but the thought of calling him to tell him she was carrying his child terrified her. 

The door to the office opened causing Pam to stuff the business card into the notebook and shoved the notebook back into her purse. Roy entered the room with a plate covered in tin foil. It had been five months, but Roy still appeared at the same time everyday, a quarter to noon, with the frozen dinners they had kept from the canceled wedding. With a smile, Roy delivered her lunch, placing it on top of her desk.

“This is it, Pammy,” Roy said as if this lunch was a bigger deal than the others. “This is the last once.” He began to unwrap the plate, a strong odor omitting as he did so.

Pam’s stomach churned. “Is that fish?” she asked with a grimace. The smell alone was enough to make her ill.

Roy looked dumbfounded. “Yeah, I kept the fish ones cause last week you said the chicken ones were making you sick.”

Pam was trying as hard as she could to fight the queasiness in her stomach. “I don’t think I’m that hungry,” she said pushing the plate to the edge of her desk. “You can have it.” 

“I’ll just put it back in the freezer for you,” Roy said.

“I don’t think I’m going to want it tomorrow either,” Pam admitted. 

Roy looked annoyed. “Fine,” he said as he sealed the tin foil back around the plate. Pam’s stomach felt a little better. “I’ll eat it myself.”

“I’m sorry,” she said timidly. She had been apologizing a lot lately but she couldn’t help it that in the ten years she was with Roy she had fallen out of love. She was glad that she had gotten the courage to call off the wedding, but she felt a twinge of guilt when she saw Roy and knew that she should have ended the relationship years ago. 

Kelly bounced up to the reception desk before Roy had a chance to respond. “Hey, Pam, so I totally have that date lined up for you tonight.”

Roy let out a grunt. “You know what, I’ve got to get going,” he said not hiding his disgust. He grabbed the plate. “I’ll see you later, Pam.”

“Kelly, you should really be more sensitive,” Pam scolded. 

Kelly rolled her eyes. “C’mon, you dumped him. He should know that you’re free to date whoever you want.”

Kelly was right, even if Pam felt bad about Roy knowing about it. For a moment, Pam wondered what Roy would do if he knew she was pregnant. She let the thought slide, knowing that Roy should probably be the last one to find out. 

“Anyway,” Kelly continued. “We’re going to have to get you a new wardrobe because this whole mousy secretary thing just isn’t working for you…” Pam smiled at the irony and made a mental note that she had to put 'get maternity clothes' on her list of things to do. 

“This isn’t another date with Alan, is it?” Pam asked. The last guy Kelly had set her up with was a cartoonist who wasn’t funny and dreadfully boring. 

“No, oh no,” Kelly assured her. “It’s this guy Ryan knows, he’s in business. And he is totally hot. I mean, so hot. So hot that I would date him if Ryan didn’t insist that we be exclusive.”

“I insisted you be exclusive,” Ryan shouted from his desk.

“Oh, whatever,” Kelly shouted at him. “Like you could do any better than me anyway.”

Ryan looked smug. “I can and I have.”

“You know what,” Pam interjected before Kelly went off on Ryan, pulling the office into an argument none of them wanted to hear. “I think I may just stay home tonight,” her stomach was rumbling and she craved the rest of that peanut butter and Swiss cheese sandwich that she made that morning because for some reason her body thought that sounded good. “I’m feeling tired and I may just read a book and go to bed.”

“What, are you eighty?” Kelly pouted. “Come on, Pam, pleeeeease. Please, please, please, please…”

Pam gave in like she always did.

\--

“That would be another strike for me,” Karen taunted as she hopped back to where Jim was standing. 

This was date number two. Karen had given in, eventually, and let Jim pick the movie and the fast food chain they ate at last time, so it was Karen’s turn to pick the activity. Karen picked bowling, a game that Jim was not very good at. Karen, however, was good at it and loving every second of it. 

Jim wondered, though, if he could call either night an actual date since nothing had happened that surpassed friendship level. He wasn’t sure why he things were progressing at a snail’s pace with Karen, but for some reason, he felt that slow was the best course to take. 

Karen grabbed the score card from him. “So, that would put me where? Oh, right, one-seventy and you are at, yes, ninety-five.” She gave him a flirty smile.

“Just you wait until I get on my game,” Jim boasted, reaching out for the first ball in the ball holder. He happened to grab a bright pink, glittery ball instead of the navy one he had been using. 

Karen burst out laughing. “You aren’t really going to use that, are you?”

“So, what if I do?” he asked with a shrug. “Maybe it’ll help my game.”

“Well, it can’t hurt it,” she teased. 

“Alright, it is on, Filippelli,” he said feeling slightly foolish that he was actually going to play with the pink ball. Somehow, though, the ball actually worked and for the first time that night, Jim got a spare. 

“I don’t believe it,” she said, grinning and shaking her head. 

“Believe it,” Jim said with a cool shrug. 

Jim bowled the next half dozen frames using the pink ball and getting pretty good scores to boot. He was feeling much more confident about his bowling ability and repeatedly told Karen that she was going down now that he had the ball. But just as he was catching up to Karen in score, a little blonde haired, pig-tailed eight year old approached them.

“Excuse me, mister,” she said tugging on Jim’s pants. “My parents say it’s time to go, so I have to get my ball back.” 

“Oh, right,” Jim said, feeling incredibly embarrassed, especially when he looked up to see a couple of annoyed parents standing a few feet away. He handed the girl her ball. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“That’s fine,” she said, taking it. “But maybe you should get a ball that’s your size. This one’s for girls,” she suggested before swiftly turning on her heel and heading back to her parents, her pig-tails swinging behind her.

“Oh my god,” Karen said, erupting into a fit of giggles. “You just got told by an eight year old.”

“Yeah,” Jim replied slowly, his face flushing. 

“I am so never going to let you live that down,” Karen said, still laughing hard. 

She didn’t the whole night.

\--

Danny Cordray was as handsome as Kelly described, which took Pam by surprise when they sat down at the restaurant for dinner. However, after twenty minutes of listening to him tell her how great of a salesman he was, Pam realized he was incredibly arrogant as well. She almost wished Ryan and Kelly hadn’t bailed on the double date just so the conversation would be more diverse. Pam could handle Kelly’s chatter about fashion and celebrity gossip more than she cold tolerate someone talk about how wonderful they were. 

“So, Pam, what’s going on in your life?” Pam was picking at her salad, hoping the main course would come soon so they could hurry through the dinner when Danny finally asked about her. She was so shocked by his question that she at first didn’t think she heard him right. 

“Oh,” she said, poking at the lettuce with her fork. “What’s going on with me?” Well, there was the obvious. She was pregnant. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. She wondered if he would freak out and scurry away if she told him she was pregnant. Part of her wanted to tell him just to see if he would. Instead, she thought about work. “Oh, I know,” she said getting excited. There was one thing that had made her happy. “A couple of guys and I started a finer thing’s club.”

Danny gave her a false smile. “A finer thing’s club. What is a finer thing’s club?”

“Oh, it’s pretty cool,” Pam said, getting into the conversation for the first time. “It’s, like, the only interesting thing to happen at work. See, I was talking to Oscar, this guy I work with, about a book he was reading and we came up with this great idea where we discuss books and culture and stuff. So far, we only have had one other coworker join, but it’s probably better that it be more exclusive.”

“So, you guys started a book club?” Danny asked, a little confused. 

“Kind of, there’s a little more to it,” Pam continued, becoming more animated as she spoke. “Like this month we’re reading The Count of Monte Cristo, so Oscar said he would make French crepes and Toby said he’d bring in these cute French berates for us to wear. And I thought we could talk about French Impressionist paintings, too. See, it, like, all ties together, the whole French theme.”

“Right, so it’s like a costumed book club. That’s cute.” Pam could sense Danny’s condescending tone. “Oh, you know what, all this French talk reminds me of when I studied abroad in college. There was this amazing restaurant in Paris—“

Pam’s face fell as Danny went into some story about France. Thankfully, their food arrived a short while later. When the waitress placed Danny’s food in front of him, Pam smelled the same sickening odor that had made her ill at lunch. 

“That’s fish, isn’t it?” she asked, cringing as her stomach churned. 

“Yeah,” Danny said not noticing that Pam was doubling over. “The salmon here is fantastic…”

“I’ll be right back,” Pam said hurriedly, throwing her napkin on the table. 

She was able to make it to the bathroom but not the toilet and ended up grossing out an elderly lady by vomiting in the sink. After spending about ten minutes attempting to clean herself up, Pam returned, apologetically telling Danny that she wasn’t feeling well. When the smell of his entrée made her dash for the bathroom again, she knew the date was over. She apologized to him, claiming that she was ill and that she would have to end the date early. She gave him her number as they left the restaurant but she never did hear from him again.

Danny might not have been that big of a loss but she had to add ‘dating’ to her list of things that would change now that she was going to have a baby. Pam went to bed early that night in an attempt to forget for one night how much her life was rapidly spinning in a direction she had never planned.


	3. Chapter 3

…8 Weeks Earlier…

The hotel restaurant was empty. The people running the convention had set up caterers in ballroom B, so, the only people using the restaurant at the hotel were normal patrons and at three in the afternoon, there weren’t very many. Pam found it a nice refuge, a place where she could sink into one of the corner booths and forget how much of an idiot her boss was. Jan hadn’t specified anything in particular for her to do. Just keep Michael in line, she had told Pam after they met again the lobby. After six hours of attempting to keep Michael in line, Pam was exhausted. Figuring that she needed a break, she came to the only place quiet in the hotel, the restaurant. 

She was working in her sketchbook, drawing the interior of the restaurant, when Jim Halpert joined her. “Hey,” he said not waiting for an invitation to sit down next to her. “I saw you sitting here, I hope you don’t mind…”

“Not at all,” she said. She was very aware that their bodies were nearly touching, so she scooted over a little to give him room. She smiled at him before quickly turning her attention back to her drawing. Jim was handsome; handsome in the way that made her think of dirty things when she looked directly at him, so, she felt it best not to look. And he seemed like a nice guy. After hours of dealing with Michael, it was refreshing to have the company of a nice guy. “What are you up to?” she asked. “I figured you guys would be in meetings all day.”

“I probably should be,” he admitted, leaning back in the booth. “But those things are all the same, matching the pricing of paper and other office supplies, trying to get companies interested in ours and…I don’t know. Josh has some big pitch going to these guys from Hammermill, so he doesn’t really need me there and…. How are you not bored out of your mind listening to this? I know I am.”

Pam let out a laugh. “Well, at least you were doing something productive. All I have done is try to keep Michael out of trouble, which believe me, isn’t easy.” She let out a sigh. “He’s trying to get people interested in some party he’s throwing up in his room. In the middle of the afternoon, he thinks people are just going to drop what they’re doing and join him for drinking and partying.”

“Ah, so that’s what the disco ball is for,” Jim said with a smile. “Hey, what are you working on?”

Jim leaned over to view her sketchbook. He was close again; close enough so that she could smell his musky cologne; so that his arm lightly brushed up against her breast. Her heart began to race. “Um, it’s, um,” she scooted over again just so she could breathe. “I, uh, draw sometimes.” She passed over the book so that he could have a better look.

“Pam, this is fantastic,” he said as he studied the one she had been working on. He seemed genuinely impressed with her work and started to flip through the sketchbook. “Wow, this stuff is…just great.”

“Thanks,” she replied, blushing a little. 

“Have you thought about doing anything with your art?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the sketchbook.

“I’m taking classes this semester at the local CC,” she gave. “But, I don’t know if it will amount to anything. My fiancé— ex-fiancé used to tell me that I should stay practical and stick with a job that will actually pay money.”

“Well, that’s stupid advice,” Jim said, not the response Pam had been expecting. “I mean you’ve got real talent here, not that I actually know anything about art. But I think these are amazing. Why not take a chance on it? What have you got to lose?”

“Yeah, maybe,” she said, a smile tugging on her lips. No one had ever given her confidence about her art before; it was a good feeling. 

Jim handed her sketchbook back. “So, uh, I should probably get going. Meetings,” he said rolling his eyes as he moved out of the booth. “Um, are you free tonight? I mean, you don’t have to literally baby-sit Michael or anything, do you?”

She laughed as she shook her head. “No, even though he probably does need taking care of, I’m sure he’ll be fine. And if not, maybe Jan can deal with him.”

He grinned. “So, would you like to have dinner with me? Meet here around 8?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” A warm sense of giddiness flowed over her. 

“Alright, then,” he said a twinkle in his eye. “It’s a date.”

\--

“Any last words?” He had her right where he wanted her.

“Oh my god, not again,” Karen groaned. 

Jim pointed the computerized gun at Karen’s avatar. “I’m giving you three seconds to turn around and face me like a man.”

“No, wait, wait,” Karen cried. Jim could hear her frantically pushing buttons on the keyboard. “How do you turn this damn thing around?”

“…3…”

“No, stop…”

“…2…”

“Alright, I’ll stop making fun of you for that stupid, pink ball…”

“…1…”

BANG

Jim killed Karen’s avatar for the tenth time that morning and that made him giggle. “Wow. You really suck at this game, Filippelli.”

“You suck at life, Halpert,” Karen returned. 

Jim spun his chair around so that he faced her. “You know, you’re going to have to start getting better at this or else I am going to continue to kick your butt.”

“I’m sorry I’m not good at video games,” Karen said, a bit of attitude in her voice. “And who plays videos games during work anyway? How is this at all productive?”

“It helps us come up with new, creative, viable business strategies,” Jim answered with a straight face. “As well as helping create team building experiences.”

“That’s a bunch of crap,” Karen shot out. 

“You’re just mad because you suck at it,” Jim returned. 

Karen gave him a glare. 

Before she could make any sort of comeback, Josh came out of his office. “Jim, can you come in here for a second?” he asked.

“Sure,” Jim said, getting out of his chair. 

“By the time you get back, I’ll have blown your head off,” Karen warned as he walked past. 

“Yeah, you just concentrate on getting out of that corner,” Jim said with a laugh as he headed towards Josh’s office. 

Once inside the office, Josh closed the door. “So, we got a call from Michael Scott over at the Scranton branch. It appears that a small business over there is opening up a branch over here and he thinks it’s a good idea to reach out to them first before anyone else gets the chance to. He had the receptionist fax over the information.” Josh handed him a piece of paper. “So, I was thinking you could…”

When Jim looked the paper, the very first thing he noticed was Pam Beesly’s name at the top. For a second, the world stopped and everything, Karen, the game, work, Josh, seemed to be far away. A memory of her came forward, one of her lying there naked and beautiful on that bed in the hotel. The room suddenly felt very warm. He closed his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to eradicate the image from his brain. 

“Jim?” The world was coming back. “Jim?” Josh repeated.

“Huh, what?”

“Do you think you can run the numbers and get the sale?” Josh asked. He was giving Jim a funny look. 

“Oh, sure,” Jim answered, still distracted. “I’ll get right on that.”

He continued to stare at the paper and at Pam’s name as he left the office. He hadn’t spoken to her since the morning she had left. He wondered about her. 

\--

Pam stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room; examining herself in the new, red blouse Kelly had made her purchase. She had to give Kelly credit, the blouse looked pretty good, it was a shame she wouldn’t be able to wear it for much longer. She pulled the blouse tight around her waist, reveling the small bulge of her belly. She was now in her third month and the baby was just now beginning to show. Thankfully, no one at work had noticed yet, though both Kevin and Kelly had made inappropriate remarks about her breasts being bigger. Unfortunately, she was going to have to get used to things being said being where she worked. 

Her stomach made a rumbling noise, one she was beginning to get used to, so she headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. She always seemed to be hungry these days, unless some scent was making her ill enough to throw-up. At the moment, though, the fetus seemed to want pickles and sour cream, neither of which Pam ever ate. When she got to the fridge, she hoped it would be satisfied with a turkey sandwich. 

Just as she was finishing her meal, she heard the apartment door open and, as expected, Isabelle appeared, showing up to take her first doctor’s visit. Her mother was supposed to accompany her but had been held up, so thankfully, Isabelle could do it. 

“Wow, look at you,” Isabelle pointed out when she saw Pam. “I didn’t know you needed to be dressed up to go. Think you’ll meet a cute doctor?”

Pam scrunched her nose. “No, one of my coworkers insisted I buy this thing from an online store. I kind of like it, though, so I thought I’d keep it.”

“Well, at least you’ll have something nice for when after the baby’s born,” Isabelle said. 

“Yeah, but I’m not going to be wearing it at work,” Pam said as she grabbed her purse and keys. “Too many comments. It would have been worse today but Dwight thought it would be fun to try and steal my boss’s job so everyone was more preoccupied with that.”

“Which one’s Dwight again?” Isabelle asked. “Oh, is he the kinda nerdy, kinda sexy one?”

“Ew,” Pam immediately reacted. She put on her coat. “Come on weirdo, let’s not ever talk about Dwight being sexy again.”

“So, you know who should really be here taking you to this, don’t you?” Isabelle asked once they were inside the car and driving. 

“Yeah, my mom is really sorry about this,” Pam said. “Thanks so much for being able to come.”

“No…”

“Oh, don’t tell me I should get Roy involved,” Pam said seriously. “I can do this alone just fine.”

Isabelle gave he an annoyed look. “Okay, first of all, I would never ask you to get Roy involved. Secondly, I don’t doubt your ability to raise a child. And third and most important, I was referring to the father.”

“What, no,” Pam responded quickly. “I’m not calling him. I decided he doesn’t have to know.”

“Oh, c’mon, Pam,” Isabelle whined. “He has every right to know, you’re just too scared to call him.”

“Why are you so interested in this anyway?” Pam asked, staring out the window so she wouldn’t have to endure Isabelle’s guilt trip stares. 

“Really?” Isabelle said after a moment. “I just want to meet the guy who got Pam Beesly pregnant.”

Pam groaned. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“Um, yeah it is,” Isabelle insisted. “So…is he hot?”

“Okay, how is that relevant?” Pam asked. 

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Pam, please, you have given me, like, nothing. At least indulge my curiosity a little bit.”

Pam thought of the grin that Jim kept giving her that night. She blushed slightly. “Yeah, he’s hot.”

“Okay, so, like actually hot hot?” Isabelle asked. “Because I question your judgment, you did sleep with Roy for ten years.”

“Just drive,” Pam said shaking her head. Some things, she thought, were probably best kept to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

…9 Weeks Earlier…

“Alright,” Jim said. “This one is for the win.”

They were at the bar, Pam sitting on a stool, Jim standing slightly behind her, playing the game they had created almost an hour earlier. They each had a quarter on the end of a spoon and whoever flipped the quarter into the glass won the game. They were tied. 

“Alright, let’s do this,” Pam replied, concentrating hard. 

Jim reached one, long arm around her to get to the spoon. His head was level with hers, their cheeks nearly touching. If he wanted to, he could have easily wrapped his arms around her and kissed her but he refrained. He was trying very hard to focus on the quarter and the spoon and not what the close proximity of their bodies was doing to him. 

After the count of three, each of them pound the end of the spoon with their first and the quarters flew into the air. Both made it in the glass. 

“Score!” Pam said, jumping off the stool, raising her arms in triumph. Jim could see a little bit of skin as her shirt raised. She gave him a dorky grin, her tongue sticking between her teeth. Jim couldn’t get enough of her, she was amazing. 

“I think we both win,” Jim said holding up his hand for a high-five. She gave him one. 

He couldn’t believe what a wonderful night he was having. He had actually shown up first for dinner that night, which was unusual for him as he had a hard time very showing up on time for anything, let alone early, but his eagerness got him there ten minutes before she showed up. The food at the restaurant was less than desired in quality but they were too deep in conversation throughout the meal neither of them neither noticed. They chatted about everything; from books to movies (though she never did finally say what her all time movie was); from work to incompetent bosses (Jim couldn’t stop laughing when she told him about Michael Scott’s screenplay); from his pranks (which she found hilarious) to life ambitions (his joking about becoming a sports announcer while she mentioned a serious interest in art). They touched lightly on the subject of her ex-fiancé but they didn’t linger on that topic as she didn’t want to discuss it and he learned enough to know that she was definitely single. 

But what amazed him the most was how easily they got along. It was if they had known each other forever and Jim found it invigorating. Most importantly, they had spent nearly the whole night laughing and Jim couldn’t remember the last time he had such an easy-going date. 

After they had finished their meal, they moved over to the restaurant bar, each having a single beer. But alcohol was soon forgotten as they started their game of flipping the quarters into the glass. 

“What do you say?” Jim asked as he fetched the glass with the quarters in it. “Another round?”

Before Pam could reply, the bartender approached them. “Sorry, guys, we’re closed.”

Pam looked at her watch. “Oh, my god, it’s, like, one in the morning.” 

“Wow,” Jim commented. The time flew by, he didn’t want the night to end. “Yeah, I guess we should probably go.”

“Yeah,” Pam said, her face falling. Jim got the impression that she didn’t want it to end either. 

There was an awkward pause where neither was sure what to say next. “Well, I’ll walk you to your room, then,” Jim offered. 

After Pam gathered her belongings, they headed out towards the lobby, Pam mentioning that she was on the third floor, while Jim informed her he was on the eighth. They were both quiet when they entered the elevator but Jim, just feeling high from being around her, reached out and grabbed on to her hand, entwining his fingers in hers. She looked up, gave him a gentle smile and his hand a squeeze. His palm was sweaty but so was hers. 

“I had a really good time,” she told him when they reached her door.

“Me, too,” Jim replied. 

They stood there for a moment, staring awkwardly at each other, neither sure quite what to do next. She finally gave him that dorky grin again before turning to unlock the door. Jim, not wanting to miss his chance, knowing that he might not get another one, pulled her back around and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, sweet and tender. 

She seemed surprised by the kiss at first but didn’t pull away when Jim lingered on her lips. Just as he was about to part from her, she kissed him back, harder than expected, but much welcomed. Jim melted into her, wrapping his arms around her, savoring the sweet taste of his lips on hers. As the kiss deepened, she dropped her purse and her hotel key to free her hands so they could run through his hair. Soon, they were making out against the door, long, slow, passionate kisses, that Jim wanted to last forever. She felt perfect in his arms and he didn’t know how he had lived this long without knowing her, feeling her, tasting her. 

He wanted her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted any other girl in his life. Desire took over as the kiss continued, hungrily quickening. Jim pushed against her, pinning her to the door. He couldn’t get enough of her. His tongue soon traced her lips, exploring, tasting, and when it entwined with hers, she let out a little moan, which completely undid him. His hands came around to rest on her hips and daringly; he drifted one hand over her stomach, up to her breast, giving it a light squeeze through the fabric. 

Suddenly, she broke away from him, her face flushed. 

“I’m sorry,” he stammered, realizing he had probably pushed too far. 

“No, no, it’s fine,” she insisted, scrambling to pick up her purse and key, avoiding eye contact. She looked completely flustered. “It’s fine really, I just-“ she didn’t finish the sentence. 

Again, another awkward pause. 

“Pam-“ he started. 

She finally looked him in the eye. “I’m glad I met you,” she said, her eyes meaning it. But when she used the key to open the door, Jim knew the night was over. “Goodnight,” she said sweetly before entering her room. 

“Goodnight,” he whispered, though she was already gone.

Jim made his way back up to his own room, torn between feeling absolutely happy that he had met Pam but slightly disappointed that the night was now over. When he got back to his room, he was too energized to sleep. He stripped down his white, cotton undershirt and black boxers before sitting on the bed and flipping on the TV in an attempt at a distraction. But he couldn’t get her out of his head, the whole night continuing to replay in his mind. 

He let himself linger on the memory of kissing her, letting his mind wander to what would have happened had it continued. He began to stroke himself through his boxers and thought that he should probably take a shower so that he could finish what had already been started. He shut off the TV and was headed to the bathroom when there was a knock on his door. 

He rushed to the door, and peered into the peephole to see who it was. A grin spread across his face as he opened the door. There she was, standing in his doorway.

\--

They just had a funeral for a bird. Pam was the only one left standing in the parking lot, looking down at the now charred box that had held the casket for the bird. The day had been strange to start off with but it ended up being down right weird, all of them holding hands, singing for a bird that probably wasn’t going to live long in the first place. 

Suddenly, Pam felt bad for the bird, being all alone. She could understand how Michael felt, even if he did take it to the extreme. She was alone, too. A wave of emotion rolled over her as she thought about herself being like Michael. It struck her hard that she was completely on her own but unlike Michael, at least she would have her baby. She wouldn’t be entirely alone. Still, she felt tears in her eyes and began to cry for the bird, for Michael, and for herself.

She didn’t understand why it was bothering her so much when that morning she was completely fine with her situation. She figured it was just rush of hormones and that by tomorrow she would feel differently. But the logical part of her brain wasn’t reaching her, which made her cry harder.

“Pammy?” Roy had come out of the warehouse to see her crying. “Are you alright?” He came towards her and immediately put his arm around her. She liked the sense of familiarity he gave; it was comforting. 

She wiped the tears from her face. “The bird died and he was all alone,” she said, burying her head into his chest. “Just like Michael’s going to die alone.”

“Hey, are you worried about dying alone?” Roy asked with a rare sense of concern. 

“No,” Pam cried. “I just- I just-“ she couldn’t get the words out.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Roy reassured her, stroking her hair. 

“This day has just been messed up,” Pam continued. “The bird died and Michael got all emotional. And Ed Truck died. I mean, his head came off.” Suddenly, an image of Ed Truck’s head literally popping off his shoulders entered her head and she began to laugh. The more she thought about Ed Truck and his headless body, the more she laughed. “Pop, it came off.”

Roy pulled away from her slightly, looking at her as if she had gone mad. “Are you alright? You’re acting very weird.”

Pam continued to half-laugh, half-cry for a minute before she was able to contain herself and let out a heavy sigh. She rested her head on Roy’s shoulder realizing that what she felt more than anything was tired. “I’m okay,” she assured him. “It’s just been a very long day.” 

\--

“I think the pizza should be ready,” Amy announced. Amy was Mark’s girlfriend. Mark was Jim’s roommate and the three of them, along with Karen, were spending the evening at the boys’ apartment watching the basketball game. 

“Then, I nominate you to get it,” Mark replied, his eyes not coming of the TV. “Since you seem to be on top of that whole thing.”

“Fine,” Amy rolled her eyes at him. “Come on, Karen,” she said, waving her hand. “Let’s leave these boys to their precious game.”

Karen was snuggled up to Jim on the couch. “You going to be okay if I leave?” she teased.

“I don’t know how I’ll function without you,” he returned playfully. “But I’ll try.”

“Oh, my god,” Mark groaned. “You two make me sick.” 

“Hey, pick me up some Herr’s chips while you’re out?” Jim asked, laughing at the inside joke as she got up.

Karen kicked him in the shin. 

“What?” he asked innocently. 

“You boys don’t have too much fun without us,” Amy teased as they headed out the door.

The boys watched the game in silence for another five minutes until the game went to commercial. 

“So, Karen’s hot,” Mark said plainly. 

“Yup,” Jim agreed, sipping his beer. 

“You guys official then?”

“Uh…”

“Dude,” Mark said in disbelief. “Tell me you have at least slept with her.”

Jim shook his head. He hadn’t even kissed her yet. “We’re friends, good friends. And it will probably lead to something more but for now it’s…nice.”

“Have you not noticed her at all tonight?” Mark asked. “She’s been all over you. How are you not with that yet?” 

Jim gave a shrug. Things with Karen had been progressing at a good pace for him. Any faster and he felt like he would lose control of it. Besides, he couldn’t help that in the back of his mind, tucked far away, there was some one else. 

Mark rolled his eyes. “God, you’re such a loser Halpert. You’re not still hung up on what’s her name, are you?”

“Pam?” Jim replied automatically. But the moment it was out of his mouth, he realized he had never told Mark about that night. 

Mark’s eyes bulged a little. “I was talking about that red-headed cheerleader who you broke-up with nine months ago. Who the hell is Pam?”

“Uh,” Jim stalled. He stared down at his beer bottle and began to pick at the label. “Remember that convention I went to a few months ago? I kinda, sorta, hooked up with a girl there.”

Mark’s jaw dropped. “You had a one-night stand?”

“Yeah, sorta,” Jim said, his voice growing quiet on the subject. “I mean, it kind of…just…happened.”

“So…” Mark asked, more curious about Jim’s romantic life than he ever had been. 

“I really did like her,” Jim continued. “And not just- not because- It wasn’t just the-“ He stared at the ceiling. It wasn’t because the sex was mind-blowing, he finished in his head. “But, you know, I gave her my number and she never called me, so that was that.”

“Jim,” Mark said throwing his hands up in the air. “I don’t even know where to begin. It was a one-night stand. Sure, it was probably fun, but it was still a one-night stand. Who never called you. That’s a telling sign, so you’re gonna have to get over it ‘cause she did. Meanwhile, you have this totally hot chick who is ready and available to you for more than one night. Didn’t you tell me that Karen made you soft-shell crab for your birthday a couple of weeks ago?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah, but she said it was left-overs or something.”

“Oh my god, Jim,” Mark said running his hands through his hair in frustration. “Do you have any idea how hard that shit is to cook? She made it for you, cause she knew it’s your favorite meal, cause she’s totally into you. This is why guys like you don’t have one-night stands; you get too emotionally involved. Piece of advice for you; Karen seems like a great girl, so listen, either get with it and start dating her or stop screwing with her and leave her alone. She doesn’t really deserve to be led on. And for the love of god, leave the girl at the convention in the past. It was one night and now it’s over.” Mark let out a sigh. “You know, you really are pathetic sometimes, Halpert."

Jim took a swig of his beer, a million things racing through his mind. “I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

He finally kissed her. Sure, it was a bit sloppy, awkward, a little too much tongue from her, but it finally had happened. He had kissed Karen. Unexpectedly, she kissed him after hanging out one evening but he found it wasn’t that bad. He actually enjoyed it. He still didn’t consider her his girlfriend yet, but it was quickly becoming that way. 

It was the end of the workday and he was leaning back in his chair, trying hard to figure out how she had switched chairs on him when he had barely gotten up and never took her eyes off her. “How’d you do it?” he asked, turning to face her. 

She was standing, rearranging some papers on her desk. She shrugged. “I am just that good,” she said. “Besides, I had to take you down. I still have that damn Cardigans song in my head.”

“Love me love me,” he started again, grinning as he sang in his falsetto. “Say that you love me…fool me fool me go on and fool me…”

“Stop it,” she cried. “Stop!” She came around the desk as he continued to sing and she playfully whacked him on the shoulder. “You drive me nuts, you know.”

“You like it,” he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. “So, we’re still on for tonight, my place?”

“Yup,” he said. “I just have a few more phone calls to make and have to drop some stuff off at my place, then I’ll be over.”

“Alright, good,” she said and leaned down to give him a quick kiss before she left. 

He watched her go, feeling pretty good as he did. 

He went back to work making a few phone calls, finishing up a few sales, everything was done quickly, except for one last task. He had to call the Scranton branch to quickly ask Michael about a few things about that small business. He had been avoiding the phone call all day, worried that she might answer. It was after five now, though, and he hoped just to leave a message and have Michael call him back. Things didn’t quite work out the way he expected them to. 

“Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam,” she answered when he finally made the call.

His breath caught in his throat, she sounded exactly the same. “Uh, hi,” he said unsure of what to say. “Is, uh, Michael Scott there?”

“He went home early, can I take a message?” His heart sank when he realized she didn’t recognize the sound of his voice. 

“Uh, um…” he stuttered. He missed the sound of her voice. “This is, uh, Jim Halpert from the Stamford branch.”

A quick “Oh my god,” was uttered through the phone. There was an awkward pause. “Jim, hi,” she sounded flustered. It made him happy that he still made her flustered. “I, uh, I’m so sorry, Michael…well, he ate about a pound of sugar with a little pretzel included and crashed, then decided he needed to go home.”

“That’s alright,” he said. “I can try again later.” Again, another pause, he didn’t want to hang up. “So…” What do you say to a girl you spent one amazing night with then never called you?

“So…” she said at the same time. “How are you?”

“I’m…good,” he replied slowly. “You?”

Another long pause. “I’m…alright…I--” she paused. His heart beat nervously as he waited for her to speak. “So...” her voice changed suddenly sounded more relaxed. “On your screen savers, do you guys have the little box that bounces around and always looks like it’s going to go right in the corner but it never does?”

He let out a laugh. “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”

“So, I was staring at my screen today,” she continued. “Yes, because I was that bored, and I saw it go right into the corner.”

“Uh, yeah, sure you did.”

“I did, I did.”

“I believe you thought you did.”

“I saw it, Jim, and it was amazing.”

\--

…10 weeks earlier…

Her breath caught when he opened the door, she hadn’t expected him to be in his underwear. She became flustered, blushed, and tried to stammer out why she was there, but words escaped her mind. He grinned at her, knowingly and she knew that she didn’t really need a pretense to be there. She looked away from his tense gaze, her eyes wandering down until she noticed the bulge in his boxers. She flushed harder and turned away completely “I, I…” she stuttered trying to say anything. 

“You can come in,” he offered, still grinning devilishly. 

She did, wracking her brain, attempting to find any plausible excuse as to why she would be there but the only thing her mind could come up with was the truth. 

She wanted him. 

She wanted him badly. It didn’t help that she could now see the outline of his chest, the tone in his arms and that bulge that kept drawing her attention to it. He was smirking now, as she couldn’t help but look him up and down. She didn’t have to say anything because he could read her mind. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” she finally managed to get out. 

“Really?” he asked, one eyebrow arched. He smirked, obviously amused by her antics. He walked slowly towards her, every step closer, her heart pounded harder in her chest. He put his hands low on her hips and pulled her close, so that they were only an inch or so apart. The room suddenly felt hot, too hot. His eyes were dark, wanting, lustful. He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him. She was going to let him do a lot of things. 

He leaned down to kiss her softly, tentatively, making sure she was alright with where they were headed. She was. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she kissed him back. The longer they kissed, the more relaxed she felt. The more she knew she wanted to continue. Kissing Jim felt as natural as breathing. 

They broke apart for a moment, catching their breath. Jim rested his forehead against hers. She smiled at him. “You know, I’ve never done this before,” she admitted. Jim straightened, looking at her curiously and she realized he now thought she was a virgin. She laughed. “No, I mean, I have-“ she blushed. “I’ve never had a one-night stand,” she corrected.

“Oh,” he grinned. “Neither have I.”

“I think,” she said, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, “maybe we should change that.”

That was all he needed to hear and quickly his mouth crashed onto hers. She kissed him back hungrily, greedily, wrapping her arms around him tighter so that their entire bodies were touching. Their kisses became faster, more frantic, and soon he had her pushed up against the wall, their bodies pressing up against each other. With one knee, he spread her thighs apart, her skirt bunching at her hips and began to grind into her rhythmically. She hitched one leg over his hip for better access and she felt a surge of wetness when she felt his hardness against her, straining through the cloth. 

She pawed at his shirt and it was quickly thrown onto the floor. He began to work on the buttons of her blouse, his lips leaving hers and making a wet trail along her jaw line to earlobe, taking a moment nibble the soft skin. She freed herself of her shirt as he continued his way south; leaving short, sweet kisses along her neck. She reached behind her and with one swift movement her bra was off, exposing her naked breasts to him. His hands were quickly on them, kneading them, pinching her hard nipples. Every touch he made was electrifying and she arched into him, allowing him more access. His lips replaced one hand, his tongue swirling around one silky nipple. She groaned, raking her hands through his hair as he continued to suck. 

He came back up to kiss her hard on the lips, his hands cradling her face as she undid her skirt and let it fall to the floor. As soon as she kicked the skirt to the side, he let one hand fall and stroked her through her soaked panties. 

“Oh, god,” she groaned, as she reveled in the feeling of his fingers working her. She braced onto his shoulders for support, her legs so wobbly she could barely stand. “Oh god, oh god, oh god…”

She wasn’t going to last much longer if he continued, so she drew his fingers up towards her mouth and seductively sucked on them, tasting herself. She had never done that before. It made her feel sexy, powerful, turned on…

He kissed her roughly, passionately, and she tried to keep up, feeling as though she could not get enough of him. She ran her hands down his chest and toyed with the waistband of his boxers before pulling them down reveling his nakedness to her. He kicked off the boxers the rest of the way and he was then naked, beautiful, and all man. She reached her hand out, slowly, hesitant to touch him and gently wrapped her fingers around his erection. Sensing her tentativeness, he placed his hand around hers and they both began to stroke. As soon as she struck up a rhythm, he let go, letting her take complete charge. She loved what she was doing to him, his eyes closed, his mouth open in a moan as she worked him, hot and heavy in her hand. After a minute or so, he stopped her, pulling her arms around his neck and picking her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. She began to kiss him, long, slow, messy, as he twirled her around and headed for the bed. 

He laid her down gently on the bed and he sat back a moment, staring at her, taking her in. She blushed again, as he looked lovingly, adoringly at her. She had never had a man look like that at her. He hovered over her slightly, kissing her tenderly. Her mouth opened under his and she sucked his tongue into her mouth. Eventually, they broke and he traveled south again, placing light, butterfly kisses on her neck, her breasts, her stomach, setting her skin ablaze. 

With one swift motion, he pulled her panties down and off and he spread her legs wide, so that she was now open to him. She had never felt so naked. She had never felt that wanted. Her body ached for him to touch her. He brought his lips to one knee, kissing his way down her thigh, her body quivering with anticipation. Finally, he arrived at her center and without hesitation, licked up her opening. She grasped onto the sheets, shuddering at the sensation. He did it again, slower, licking small circles around her tiny bud when he reached the top. He kissed her folds, letting his tongue flicker in and out of her. Her hips bucked uncontrollably and when he pushed two fingers into her, she let out a scream. She closed her eyes, concentrating hard on his fingers in her, his tongue masterfully working her. She was close, so close. 

Then suddenly he was gone and before she could fully comprehend what had happened, he was pushing his erection into her. He gave a few, shallow thrusts at first, rocking his hips gently. She loved how he felt in her, full, strong and she began to move her hips along with his, matching the rhythm he set. He pumped harder, deeper, faster, and when he reached down between them to massage her, pinch her, she went over, waves of pleasure washing over her. As she rode out her orgasm, he slowed down, enjoying the look of pure lust on her face. Her arms reached out for him, their mouths crashing together as he sped up once again. She lifted her legs higher on his waist, throwing her head back when he pinched her nipple, twisting it, pulling it. She urged him on, digging her heels into his ass, opening herself wider. He moved faster, then her moans turning to screams and obscenities. Feeling her orgasm around him for the second time, he followed her over the edge, screaming her name as he did so. 

Their pace slowed and he gave a few more shallow thrusts before pulling out of her. She pulled him down for a long, loving kiss. 

“That was amazing,” she said with a heavy breath, tracing one finger down his cheek. He kissed her again, unhurried, both of them reveling in the post-coital bliss. 

“You are amazing,” he returned. He laid down behind her on the bed and pulled her close, his arm around her protectively, possessively. She snuggled against him, not believing what she had just done but so, incredibly glad that she did.

\--

Three hours later, he had tears down his cheeks he was laughing so hard. It was evening time now, though he hardly noticed that the sun had set. He was enjoying his phone conversation with Pam too much. 

“…So, he’s put in charge of the health care plan and it’s a complete disaster,” Pam was saying. “I mean, first of all he stripped of us everything because he felt he didn’t need the coverage and said it was better for the company. I asked him what if he got sick and he claimed he never does. And then starts saying he can do weird stuff, like, lower and raise his cholesterol at will. I mean, how the hell would one do that…and why…”

Jim burst out laughing. “Really? He said that?”

“He did,” she insisted. “And then, you know what he has us do after we complained about it?”

“What?”

“Write all of our diseases down on piece of paper,” she explained. “Yeah, like we’re going to tell you, Dwight, what’s wrong with us so somehow you can use that against us at some point. So, you know what I did? I started making up diseases.”

“Oh, my god, Pam,” Jim started laughing again. “Please tell me what you came up with.”

“Well, okay, first there’s dental hydroplosion…” She paused and he heard voices in the background. 

“Pam?” he said into the phone.

He thought he heard male voices but couldn’t tell what anyone was saying. 

“Okay, bye,” she said. 

He was confused but looked at the clock and noticed how late it was. He also noticed that he had three missed messages on his cell phone and knew Karen was probably wondering where he was. 

“Oh, you have to go?” he asked, hesitantly. 

“Oh, what?” she sounded confused, too. “Um, yeah, I probably should.”

“Yeah, I should probably, too.” They were both quiet for a moment. 

“Bye, Jim…”

“Bye, Pam…”


	6. Chapter 6

…11 Weeks Earlier…

He awoke to the bright, golden sunlight streaming through the window. The minute he was back to consciousness he was happy, very happy, giddy even. He thought back to the previous night, not able to contain a wide grin, it was perfect. It didn’t feel like how a one-night stand supposedly should feel. It felt real. 

He reached out an arm, thinking she’d still be there and when she wasn’t, he sat up startled, scanning the room to see if she was even still there. She was, thankfully, in the corner of the room, buttoning up her skirt. She smiled shyly when she saw that he was awake.

“I was hoping you would wake up before I left,” she said giving him a soft smile, as she tried to reposition the barrette in her hair. Part of him wanted to tell her to leave it down, that she looked beautiful with the curls around her face. 

He frowned some, wishing she didn’t have to leave. “What time is it?”

“A little after ten,” she informed him. 

He was supposed to meet Josh at eight but at this point, he didn’t care that much. The previous night was worth being scolded for being late. “Do you really have to go?” he asked pleading her with his eyes to stay.

“Yeah,” she said apologetically, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s, uh, Michael. He called a few minutes ago. Apparently, he burned his foot…”

“Burned his foot?” he repeated skeptically.

“…on a George Foreman grill,” she explained rolling her eyes. “It sounds weird, but it’s Michael. He always brings one on trips for his breakfast in the morning and…I have to go.”

“Really?” he asked, not sure whether to believe her or not. “And he can’t take care of himself?”

She tilted her head. “No, not really. I need to make sure he’s alright or else he’s going to pester everyone else in this hotel until someone does take him. And that’s just not fun for anyone.”

“Oh,” Jim frowned. He hadn’t envisioned his time spent with Pam ending so abruptly. “So, I will see you again, right? After Michael’s foot is taken care of?”

“Maybe,” she said, her face unsure. He was having trouble reading her and he was beginning to wonder if he had been misinterpreting something about the previous night. “I guess it depends on how long Michael cooked his foot.” She began to head towards the door.

“Wait,” he said, scrambling out of bed. He was still completely naked and he noticed that she blushed when she saw him. But instead of grabbing his boxers, he went for his suitcase and pulled out a business card and a pen, scribbling his cell phone number at the bottom. “Here,” he said handing it to her. “Call me some time.”

“Okay,” she said with a reassuring smile, the girl he had met yesterday coming back in that moment. He leaned down, cupping her face, giving her a sweet, lingering kiss on the lips. 

“I had a really great time,” he told her.

“Me, too,” she responded, looking at him adoringly, making him feel as though maybe he didn’t misinterpret anything at all.

He kissed her again, savoring her. 

“Goodbye, Jim,” she said as she broke away to leave.

“Bye, Pam.”

It was the last time he would see her for three months.

\--

Open. Close. Open. Close. Pam flipped her phone open for the hundredth time that evening, stared at the buttons, contemplated calling, and then shut the phone again. She didn’t even need to look at the card any more; she knew the number by heart. 

“Okay, so, if you don’t mind me asking…again…why haven’t you called him?” Isabelle had asked the night before. 

“You can’t just tell someone you’re having their baby over the phone, Is,” Pam had replied. 

“No, no, you wouldn’t tell him over the phone, weirdo.” Isabelle had shaken her head. “And I get why you’re nervous to tell him about the baby thing, sort of, maybe, even though I still think you’re being stupid about it. That’s not what I meant, though. Why didn’t you call him after the convention?”

Pam wasn’t sure she had a clear answer. “I don’t know…I…”

“There’s got to be a reason you didn’t call this perfect guy back,” Isabelle had said. “I mean, after everything you told me, you didn’t just hook up with a dude. You, like, met Mr. Right.”

Pam had thought it over, trying to figure out how to articulate her answer. “Well, I had to drive Michael home, because he burnt his foot on a George Foreman grill. Yes, I know, it’s unbelievable. Anyway, he insisted he be treated in Scranton by his own doctor. Don’t ask, I don’t know. But all I know is that I thought about Jim the whole way home. I was so giddy, so happy. And I thought about calling all the way home. But every time I was about to do it, call, Michael would demand my attention; needing to go to the bathroom, getting food, helping him back home. So, I couldn’t help but wonder, maybe I wasn’t supposed to make that call.”

“You’re not making any sense, Pam,” Isabelle had said, looking very confused.

“That night was amazing,” Pam continued. “It was perfect. Maybe, too perfect. And this little part of my brain keeps nagging me. How can anything live up to that? I have this perfect memory of this great night. I mean, what if I called him and we dated and then it, just, sucked? Or, what if what I felt that night was just because I was caught up in the moment? It was one day, I mean, I don’t even really know him, do I? He might have not been that into me or maybe it was all just a play to get me into bed. How can I be sure? The more I thought about it…more I think about it, I feel like I should just preserve that perfect memory, you know? Why should I screw that up? I’ve thought about calling him a million times but now that days have turned into weeks…”

“Okay, you are way over romanticizing everything,” Isabelle had responded. “And you’re not usually one to do that, so, I’m going to guess what’s really going on is that you’re running from the situation because you’re scared. That sounds more like you. Pam, you just let things happen to you. You don’t seem to take charge of your own life. I mean, you let Roy dictate you around forever. You wouldn’t be going to art school if I hadn’t dragged you to sign up. Sure, you found it in you to hook up with this guy because he asked you and you knew it was alright because he wanted you to. And you were fine with that because that one night could stay that one night. But if you don’t use that phone, then you’ll never know if there could have been anything more.”

“You act like calling is such a simple solution,” Pam had argued. “I know it’s easy for you to forget, but I once thought that Roy was perfect. For years, I thought that that was how my life was supposed to go. And it wasn’t. One day, I woke up and realized that I had wasted ten years of my life. Ten. A whole decade.”

“You have got to quit beating yourself up about Roy,” Isabelle said rolling her eyes. “You were a seventeen-year-old naïve idiot when you first met Roy. You live, you learn. I mean you already know this other guy is better. From what I can tell, he makes you laugh, you guys have stuff in common, he’s the best sex you’ve ever had…”

Pam had blushed. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to, it’s been written all over your face since you started talking about him.” Isabelle had pointed out. “Look, Pam, I have known you since middle school. I have never, ever seen you glow about Roy or any of these lame guys you let your coworkers set up for you, all of whom you know aren’t going to work out before you even go on the date. You’ve gotta take a chance on something, some time Pam or else your life is just going to be full of regrets.”

“I don’t know,” Pam had replied sullenly. “I keep thinking about things over and over and…”

Isabelle had smiled at her friend. “It seems like the best decisions you’ve have made have been your impulsive ones. I mean you left Roy on the day of your wedding because of an impulse. And you showed up at this guy’s hotel door on impulse. Quit thinking about everything so much. Follow your heart. What’s the worst that could happen from a phone call? He won’t pick up. And then, at least you’ll know. I know you seem to think that your boss burning his foot was a sign that it wasn’t meant to be. But, I’ve met Michael Scott. And maybe that was just the universe telling you that your boss is an idiot. You’re having this guy’s baby. Don’t you think that’s a bigger sign from the universe telling you maybe he’s the one?”

Open. Close. Open. Close. Isabelle’s words continued to echo in her mind. The entire day, all she thought about was that conversation, that she was her own worst enemy. Maybe it was time to take charge of her own life. Maybe she should fall down and scrape her knees every once in a while. Maybe the whole thing would become a giant disaster. All she knew was that talking to Jim last week on the phone had been the best she felt in ages. Isabelle was right; she had to at least try.

Taking a deep breath, she opened up her phone and began to dial.

\--

He awoke to the sound of rain pattering against the window. For a moment, he forgot where he was and all he knew was that he had a throbbing headache. 

“Morning, sleepy head,” he recognized Karen’s voice and a hand was tousling his hair. Portions of the previous night were coming into focus. He had gotten drunk, he was sure of that. And Karen had taken him home. And Karen was still at his place. His eyes fluttered open to see Karen, leaning over him, grinning. 

“Hey,” he managed to say, though it sounded garbled. “You’re here.”

She looked at him amused. “I stayed here last night.” She let out a laugh. “You don’t remember it do you?”

He didn’t. Did they do anything, he wondered. A memory of kissing her was coming back. A memory of more than kissing her was coming back. But did they do everything? Nothing was coming to mind. Karen was in the same work suit as yesterday but he doubted she would be that amused with him if he didn’t remember their first time. Or maybe she would. It was hard to tell with Karen sometimes. 

“What time is it?” he muttered, closing his eyes again. He didn’t want to get out of bed. 

“It’s, like, ten or something,” he could hear Karen moving around. “Josh called, he’s been trying to get a hold of you. You missed some meeting this morning, he sounded pissed on the phone. I told him you were sick.”

“Thanks,” he said half-heartedly, snuggling back into his pillow. “Saves me from having to call in.”

She was once again at the side of the bed, her face hovering over his. “Did I wear you out last night, Halpert?”

He avoided the question. “Why did you let me drink so much?”

“Um, no, that was Andy and yours brilliant idea,” she laughed. “I had no part in that.”

“Good,” he responded. “I can pin this all on Andy then.”

She remained hovered over him. “What?” he asked finally.

“I’m leaving now,” she said, though she didn’t make any attempt to go.

“Okay,” he said indifferently. She frowned at him as if she were expecting something more. He reached out his hand for reassurance, grasping it tightly in hers, running his thumb over her knuckles. “I’ll give you a call when I manage to pull myself out of bed, okay?” his voice a little softer then before. 

He thought he saw a little bit of relief on her face. “Okay,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “Bye, Jim,” she said brightly.

“Bye, Karen.”

A few minutes after she was gone, he pulled himself out of bed, figuring he could use some aspirin and water. He noticed the light on his cell flashing. He flipped his phone to see that he had five missed calls. Figuring they were all from Josh, and not wanting to hear his boss’s irritated voice, he erased his voice mails without listening to a single one.


	7. Chapter 7

“Well, I’d just like you to think about it,” Pam’s mother told her on the drive back to Dunder-Mifflin. Helene Beesly had accompanied her daughter to one of her doctor’s visits and was now giving Pam a ride back to work. “You have such a small apartment, I don’t know where you’re going to fit everything. That second bedroom seems too small for all the baby stuff.”

“Mom, I’m not going to move,” Pam said. They had had this argument before. While Pam enjoyed how on board her mother was about having a baby, sometimes she fretted too much. “I promise, there will be enough room. Dad said he’d just move that second bed into storage. Once the kid gets a little older, then I’ll think about moving.” 

“And you’re getting diapers now?” Mrs. Beesly asked. “It’s a good idea to stock up now while you have a little extra money.”

“I am,” Pam assured her. “Penny and I are doing some baby shopping this weekend. I need to get some maternity clothes, too.”

“Oh, good, you told your sister,” Mrs. Beesly said happily. 

“Most people know,” Pam said. “Except for everyone at work. I’m avoiding that as long as possible.”

“Well, then, be sure to put baby stuff on your Christmas list,” Mrs. Beesly reminded her. “You’ll want to get as much free stuff as you can get. Oh, but don’t send a list you your Nana, she won’t approve of you not being married. I think it’s ridiculous and I’m looking forward to being a grandmother but she’s old fashioned. As modern as I think you are, and more than able to do it, she wouldn’t like the idea of you raising this child without a father.”

Pam rolled her eyes and looked out the window as they drove. She had almost made it through an entire conversation with her mother without her bringing up the subject of the father. “I agree, Nana shouldn’t know,” Pam responded. “Maybe after the baby’s born, we’ll tell her I adopted.” 

Her mother was silent for a moment. “You know, I have been respectful on the subject and if you don’t want to tell me who he is, that’s fine. But have you at least told him yet? The father, I mean. Even if you don’t want him in your life, it might be a way for you to get some money for the child. Child support and everything.”

Pam had told her mother very little about Jim Halpert, therefore statements such as these kept coming from Mrs. Beesly’s mouth. Truth was, she had been trying to push Jim from her mind. The more days that passed without hearing from him, the more she felt that maybe it was better if it were just her and her baby. “Don’t worry about it, Mom,” Pam said, trying to sound casual about it. “I’m going to be fine.”

Mrs. Beesly frowned. “I know, dear. I’m just looking out for you.”

“I know,” Pam replied. “I appreciate it. I really do, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Her mother smiled at her. Pam changed the subject and for the rest of the car ride, they talked about a variety of things, from baby clothes to day care options. Everything but the father. 

Her mother eventually dropped her off at work and while she had a minute alone on her elevator ride up to the office, she pulled out the sonogram they had given her during her doctor’s visit. The doctor told her that so far, the pregnancy was running smoothly, no complications that Dr. Wilson could see. Pam was relieved every time she went in to hear that the baby was coming along just fine and was thrilled when she was able to see her baby for the first time on the monitor. She wasn’t sure if she could even see the baby then, with the doctor pointing it out and she still couldn’t see it now, as she was looking at it in the elevator but just the fact that it was there gave her an incredibly warm feeling. She loved the little fetus more than she had ever loved anything. 

She slipped the sonogram into her purse as she left the elevator. When she entered the office, she immediately knew something was off. Ryan was at his desk, tossing business cards up into the air, while Kelly, who was standing against his desk, looked like she had been crying. Phyllis had her feet on her desk and was knitting and Stanley was doing his crossword puzzle. A phone was ringing and no one attempted to answer it. Everyone in the office looked like they were doing everything but work and as far as she could tell Dwight and Michael were missing.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she put her stuff at her desk.

“Oh, you mean you haven’t heard?” Phyllis said looking up from her knitting. “They’re shutting down the Scranton branch.”

\--

They walked into work together hand in hand. He had to admit, at first, he wasn’t sure he and Karen were going to amount to anything but she really had been growing on him. And it felt nice to have someone around who seemed to care so much. Then last night happened; a candle-lit dinner, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and he had found out that Karen’s place was much more comfortable than his own. They had made the relationship official that morning and decided they should make it official at work as well.

The HR rep wasn’t in that day, so they went to Josh. “What can I do for you guys?” Josh asked, not looking up from some paperwork as they walked in. 

“Um…” Karen started. She looked up at Jim, grinning wildly. It was contagious and Jim couldn’t stop from smiling himself. “We started dating…officially.”

“And we were wondering if we had to fill out one of those contract thingies,” Jim finished for her.

“That’s great,” Josh replied indifferently. He still hadn’t looked up. “Just go tell Sam, he’ll have you fill out the paper work.”

They exchanged confused looks. “Yeah, Sam isn’t in today,” Jim said.

“Oh,” Josh said, finally raising his head. “Right, well, you know what, I wouldn’t worry about it right now.” 

“Isn’t it company policy?” Karen asked, looking concerned.

Josh was definitely distracted by something else. “Yeah, but, really, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

As odd as Josh was acting, Jim and Karen felt it wasn’t worth pushing the subject and left his office figuring they would just wait until Sam returned.

\--

She always had this fantasy, one where Michael pushed her too far and she snapped. She’d slap him and storm out claiming that she would quit. The longer she worked at Dunder-Mifflin, the more she used to daydream about that fantasy, finally able to go out onto her own and find a job she really cared about. But now that she had learned that she might no longer have a job, the prospect of that scared her to death.

She sat down in her chair, a little in shock. She hadn’t asked her coworkers very many questions, most of them indifferent and even happy about the branch closing (except Kelly who was having a major breakdown) and found out that Michael and Dwight were on a mission to save the branch. She figured the two of them together would do more harm than help and that she had to face the reality that she was now pregnant and jobless. 

She pulled out her pregnancy notebook and flipped to blank pages, writing job hunt at the top. Since no one was paying any attention to doing their job anyway, she decided she could at least spend her time wisely by updating her resume and possibly getting it up on one of those job finding sites. But with all the new worries swirling around in her head, the biggest of which at the moment being how she was going to pay hospital bills without insurance, she could barely concentrate. The blank page stayed blank.

After a good ten minutes of freaking out in her head, making sure no one was watching, she pulled out the sonogram. Something about the picture of her baby reassured her and the happy feeling she got from looking at it helped calm her down. She would get a new job, a better one and she would be alright, she told herself. And all of it would be for the better.

\--

“What about Italian?” Jim suggested.

Karen, who currently was leaning against Jim’s desk, scrunched her nose. “No, I don’t really like Italian.”

Jim stared at her in disbelief. “How do you not like Italian? You are Italian.” 

Karen shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, I just don’t like pasta. Besides,” she gave him a smirk and tugged on his tie. “I thought maybe we could stay in tonight.”

Plenty of new suggestions came to mind but before Jim could say any of them, Andy rolled his chair up to his desk. He was bouncy, acting anxious like a little boy. Neither Jim nor Karen ever tried to encourage him but if he wasn’t acknowledged, he wasn’t going anywhere. “What’s up, Andy?” Jim asked. 

“Looks like the Scranton branch is shutting down,” he told them excitedly. “Booyah!”

“Why are you so happy about it?” Karen asked.

As Andy went into a soliloquy about how much better he thought Stamford was than Scranton and why, Jim broke his self-imposed rule and thought about Pam. For whatever reason, he had always found it comforting that she worked at the company. He was resigned to the fact that she felt it was a one night thing and made a pact to himself to try not to ever think about her. He had to take his roommate’s advice and leave the past in the past, and moving forward in his relationship with Karen was a step towards doing just that. But he always liked the possibility that he and Pam could stumble across each other like they did when he accidentally called her. A sense of sadness washed over him when he realized there would be no more accidents like that. 

Jim was ripped out of his thoughts when Jan entered the office. Looking worn out and it wasn’t even noon yet, Jan called him into Josh’s office. Things were most definitely changing.

\--

Kelly was at her desk, waiting like an impatient child for Pam to sign one of the old company newsletters. For whatever reason, Kelly seemed intent on cherishing the memory of the place by making everyone sign. She had been crying up a storm earlier when Ryan had dumped her but now she was giggly and bubbly, excited when Pam had put a lame not-so-inside joke on the newsletter. She swore Kelly’s mood swings were worse than her pregnancy ones.

She had never been happier to see Roy when he entered and asked to talk with her a minute, pulling her away from Kelly’s persistent chatter about how she’d miss life after Dunder-Mifflin. 

“What is it, Roy?” she asked when they entered the hallway. 

Roy paced back and forth a moment anxiously. “I heard about the branch closing. And, god, I just can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s weird,” Pam replied, playing with her necklace and staring at the ground. Interaction with Roy always felt awkward after the breakup. “I mean, they’ve talked about downsizing for years, I just always thought it would be just talk.”

“Yeah…” He ran his hand through his hair. “So, uh, what are you going to do?”

He seemed mildly concerned, which was odd for him and Pam wasn’t quite sure how to react. “There’s a lot to think about,” she said honestly. “I feel slightly overwhelmed but, you know, it’s probably a great opportunity. What about you?”

“Oh, I’m gonna be fine,” he said easily. “Bob Vance is taking over the warehouse, so we’ve all got jobs.”

“Ah,” Pam said nodding. She clasped and unclasped her hands. She wasn’t entirely sure why Roy had brought her out there. 

“Uh, look,” Roy started to say. He had never been eloquent in stating his thoughts. “Like, if you ever need a place to stay…”

“Roy…” she said with a sigh. She wasn’t sure why he couldn’t get it through his head that they were over.

“No, uh, I don’t mean, like, in any romantic way or nothing,” he continued. “I just wanted you to know if you were ever in any kinda trouble, you could, uh, come to me.”

“Thanks, Roy,” she said taken aback by his offer. Rarely had he ever put her issues in front of his own and it was a nice feeling to know that she always had one option open to her. 

\--

He had known Josh for a long time and thought he was a pretty decent guy. He never thought Josh would screw the company just for personal advancement, no matter how bad a company Dunder-Mifflin seemed. So, shocked was the best way to describe Jim when he witnessed Josh turn down Jan’s offer because he had taken an offer at Staples. No wonder he had seemed so distracted, Jim thought.

Jan had been on the phone for a long time, he assumed, talking to corporate. When she finally hung up, she pulled him inside one of the private offices. “Look, I know this thing is a mess,” she told him. “We’re still going to go through with the downsizing but we’re going to have Scranton absorb Stamford.”

“What?” Jim wasn’t sure if he heard her right. 

“I know, it’s not ideal,” Jan continued. “But, with Josh leaving we’ve got to do something and…anyway, we were going to promote you to assistant regional manager of the new branch we were going to create. While that’s the same job title as what you are now, it’s essentially a promotion. With the branches merging, we’re still going to offer you the same promotion because someone is going to have to keep Michael Scott in line and we…I’m…pretty confident you’ll be fine at that.”

Jim was still trying to process what she was saying. “You want to promote me…if I move to Scranton?”

“Yes,” Jan said. “There’s a pay raise, better benefits, we’ll even help with moving costs. You’re not obligated to take it but we would really appreciate it if you did.”

“I don’t know…” he replied slowly. He was torn on the idea. He would be able to see her again, work along side of her. He’d actually be her boss. But was that really the wisest choice to make? Should he really cling on to something that hadn’t amounted to anything in the first place? Besides, he had Karen and he cared for Karen. There really wasn’t any point in making things more complicated than they needed to be.

“Oh, god, you can’t work with Michael, can you?” Jan asked, seeming defeated. 

“No, no,” he assured. “I don’t really have a problem with Michael Scott. There’s just…some personal stuff going on…”

She nodded. “Yeah, this is your home, I get it. Well, look, we’re prepared to offer you what we can. Just think about it, okay?”

Jim nodded. 

\--

Pam expected to see Michael and Dwight return before she expected to see Jan arrive at the branch. The minute she arrived, Jan looked around in disbelief. “Okay, what the hell is going on and where is Michael Scott?”

“We don’t know where Michael is,” Ryan told her.

“And we know the branch is closing,” Phyllis added.

“Oh, good, god,” Jan said. Pam thought she looked more tired than she had ever seen her. “Your branch is not closing, you won’t be losing your jobs,” she said bluntly. Pam sighed a heavy breath of relief. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Stamford is the branch that’s closing.”

“What?” Pam wasn’t sure if she heard Jan right. 

Jan walked over to Pam’s desk. “Will you please find Michael and get him back here?” she pleaded.

“Yeah, sure,” Pam replied, finding Michael not high on her priority list at the moment. “Hey, Jan, what happens when Stamford closes? Will they all lose their jobs? Will some of them stay…”

Jan was busy texting on her phone. “I suppose some will come over here, most will lose their jobs. That’s the point of downsizing, Pam. It’s not pretty but if we want to stay afloat…”

“Um,” Pam started hesitantly. “Do you know who’s coming?”

Jan looked up from her phone confused and annoyed. “Why do you want to know who’s coming over here?”

“Just to, you know, know them before they come so we could, uh, get them better acclimated to their new office,” Pam spat out.

Jan rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know,” she replied going back to her phone. “We’ll let you know, okay?”

Pam nodded, an anxious feeling growing inside her.

\--

“What are you going to do?” He and Karen were sitting in the breakroom sharing a bag of chips and talking about the future of their careers.

“I have no idea,” he replied honestly. It had been a few hours since Jan left and he still felt as conflicted as ever. 

“Well, she offered you a nice promotion package,” Karen reminded him, taking a chip out of the bag and munching on it. “I think I would be hard pressed not to take her up on it.”

“Really?” he was a little surprised to hear her say that. “I figured you would want to take off right for New York City.”

“Well, yeah, that’s ideally where I wanted to end up,” Karen admitted. “But in today’s economy, you’ve got to be practical. She’s offering you job security with a pay raise and health benefits and everything. I mean, sure, New York City is great but if it were me, I’m not so sure I’d take the gamble.”

“Huh,” Jim sat back, deep in thought. “So, if they offered you a job in Scranton, would you take it?”

Karen nodded. “Well, sure, it’s a job and, you know, how bad could Scranton really be? Besides, I’d rather look for jobs in New York while having a job than be unemployed.”

“Good point,” he responded, letting out a sigh. 

Karen rested a hand over his. “C’mon, you know that if we both go to Scranton, it’s going to be one hell of a crazy ride, you’ve heard the stories about that branch. At least we’ll be able to survive it together, right?”

Jim let out a nervous laugh. He had a heavy decision ahead of him.

\--

Pam cleared some old papers off her fridge and placed the sonogram on the center of the door with and old heart shaped magnet. It had been a long day, a crazy one but at least she still had her job. For that she was grateful. She still had a million things to think about, her life was chaotic as ever but at least she didn’t have to add a job search to it. And when she stared at the picture of her unborn baby, she knew she was getting something wonderful out of it. 

And then there was the possibility that Jim would be coming to Scranton. Never in a million years did she think that would ever happen. She couldn’t help but smile at the prospect. 

Maybe the universe was on her side after all.


	8. Chapter 8

The more November drew to a close, the more restless Pam became. The first day of the new month was the day the people from Stamford would arrive at the Scranton branch and Pam had never looked forward to something work related with such anxiousness. She was so enthused over the merger that she helped Michael plan the arrival and even filmed the ridiculous welcome video, which starred Michael and Dwight rapping about Scranton. When December first finally rolled around, Pam found herself heading into work nearly giddy with excitement. 

She hadn’t spoken to Jim since the time he accidentally called and she didn’t try calling him again after her failed first attempt. While doubtful at first, she tried to convince herself that he had just missed the call and hadn’t intentionally avoided her. When she read Jim’s name on the list of people coming from Stamford, she knew he wouldn’t have taken the job if he hadn’t wanted to see her. She had gotten up extra early that morning to do her hair and wore the grey sweater her mother had just given to her over the Thanksgiving weekend thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to make herself look nice for him. 

She had bribed Michael to let her greet their new coworkers by promising him she would eat lunch with him every day for the next month but it was worth it because she would be the first one to see everyone and she wanted her reunion with Jim to be uninhibited by Michael. Of course, Michael was making it difficult by jumping up to reception every time someone new came in because he couldn’t help but want to be center of attention. At least Michael’s antics were keeping her occupied and busy. If she had had to just sit and wait, she would have been driven insane watching the clock tick by. Her nerves though, were getting the best of her and whether because of that or the pregnancy, she had gotten sick twice before work even started and was grateful that she had brought plenty of breath mints. 

What felt like countless times of jumping up every time the door opened, Jim finally arrived. There were two other men with him and she ended up being thankful for that because Michael ran up to introduce himself and was so preoccupied with the black man and the obese man that he barely noticed Jim was even there. When Michael ushered them to follow him, Jim stayed. Pam’s heart began to race; she couldn’t believe she was seeing him again and her face lit up, not able to hide her excitement. 

He smiled at her, that cute grin that made her melt for him when they had first met, and for a moment, it was like three months had not passed. But then the awkwardness set it. She had envisioned the encounter in her head, each time she was able to speak coherently, smoothly. But when she finally saw him, her breath caught and she found it hard to speak. What did she say to a guy that when last she saw him he was completely nude, she thought. And then that image floated into her brain and she blushed hard, immediately looking down at her feet and began nervously playing with the gold chain around her neck. A good, long moment passed before either said a word.

“Hey,” she said breaking the silence, finally managing to lift her eyes to his.

“Hi,” he replied slowly his face growing serious. She tried to read what he was thinking but she couldn’t. 

A silence lingered between them. 

“It’s great to see you again,” she told him, trying to imply how glad she was that he was there in a simple sentence.

“Yeah…” he agreed. “You, too.”

Not able to help herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug. He hugged her back. She noticed his grip was loose, though, they remained holding each other longer than what was considered a friendly, casual hug. As his arms came around her waist, he seemed to notice that her belly had grown. He looked at her curiously and Pam understood that he sensed something was different about her. A flicker of worry scurried across her face when she realized that now that he was there, he should be told the truth but she didn’t think the “hey, I’m carrying your baby” conversation would be appropriate at their first encounter since that night…or at work. 

Instead, she brought him over to his desk, which happened to be across from hers. “I want you to enjoy this moment,” she started with a smirk. “Because you’ll never go back to this time before you met your desk mate Dwight.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “The Dwight? As in the one…”

“Yup,” she nodded as he laughed. The tension between them began to dissipate. 

As if on cue, Dwight approached them. He eyed Jim and began to circle him like a predator to prey. “Hello, my name is Dwight K Schrute,” he said sharply. 

Jim looked over to Pam and gave her a look, silently asking her if he was for real. Pam continued to nod, smirking. “Jim Halpert,” Jim responded, holding out his hand. 

Dwight didn’t take it. “I don’t shake hands as it would show we are equals. We are not equals because you are my inferior.”

“Dwight,” Pam said rolling her eyes. “Stop trying to intimidate everyone, it’s not working.”

“Oh, I have to intimidate the new ones,” Dwight assured her. “How else will we break them in?”

“Well,” Jim said easily, “it’s not working because I am not intimidated by you.”

“Oh, well you should be,” Dwight said very seriously. “Not only am I a top salesman and a bed and breakfast owner and a beet farmer, I am also a black belt, so you should watch yourself, Jim Halpert.”

“And I am assistant regional manager,” Jim pointed out. “Which means I’m your boss, which means I can fire you whenever I want.”

“What?” Dwight’s entire demeanor changed to panic. “You can’t do that. Only Michael can do that.”

“Actually, I can do that and you’re fired.” Jim replied.

“I am not fired.” Dwight argued.

“Yes, yes you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I am n--Michael!” Dwight stormed off like a whiney kid who didn’t get his way.

Jim smiled over at Pam. “That was fun,” he said.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll get better,” Pam said with a laugh.

Then, a brunette woman Pam had never met before joined them. Jim obviously knew her because he smiled at her when she stood next to him. “Hey,” he said brightly.

“Hey,” she said. “You are really bad at leaving your stuff at my place,” she handed him a black and blue scarf. She playfully wound the scarf around his neck. “Seriously, Halpert, you’re horrible about it.”

“Oh…thanks,” Jim replied. “I’m gonna go take care of this.” He went to put the scarf with his jacket.

Pam’s stomach plunged when she sensed the easy familiarity between them. She couldn’t help but notice how pretty the other girl was, shiny hair, perfect skin, and was able to dress much better than Pam. She felt a twinge of jealousy rise.

“Hi, I’m Karen Filippelli, one of the new sales people,” Karen introduced when Jim left, holding out a friendly hand. “Your sweater is gorgeous, where did you get it?”

Pam didn’t want to like her but the new girl seemed nice. “Pam Beesly, receptionist,” she replied giving Karen’s hand a very quick shake. “Thank you, my mom made it for me.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Karen continued. Pam wished the other girl was layering it on thick, but Karen seemed to be sincere. “I wish someone in my family could knit…” Jim returned in that moment and Karen’s attention immediately flew back to him. “Hey, so I had this insane morning, my car didn’t start so I had to take the bus. Do you mind giving me a ride home?”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” Jim told her.

“Great, thanks,” Karen replied. “Maybe we should head to the bar then, too. Something tells me I’m going to need a drink after this day is over.”

Pam stared intently at their body language as they talked; the way Karen leaned in towards him when she spoke, the way she continually smiled at him, the way her hand easily rested on his arm and how she affectionately grazed his bicep with her thumb. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach, like she was going to be sick. At least Jim looked uncomfortable as well; tense even. Karen continued to talk, not seeming to notice. 

Feeling the nausea rise to an uncontrollable level, she slipped away from the conversation and to the bathroom. 

\--

“…and she smells like a funeral home,” Karen complained as they ate their lunch in the break room. They were the only ones there, taking refuge from the insane day. “I had heard stories about the Scranton branch but to see it first hand? How does anyone ever get anything done around here?”

“I know, right?” Jim agreed. “It’s like a madhouse.”

Pam came in then, Jim’s breath catching as she walked in. “Hey,” she said smiling at them weakly before heading to the vending machine then. 

Jim watched her as she walked, how her hips swayed in the skirt, how the sweater clung to all the right places. He had hoped that when he came to Scranton, Pam would be magically transformed into some ugly, horrible person. But she was still as beautiful as ever, sweet as ever and he felt guilty feeling anything for her, especially with Karen sitting right next to him. He averted his eyes down to his bag of chips, hoping that Karen hadn’t noticed they way he had looked at Pam. 

If Karen did, she didn’t look it. “Hey, Pam,” Karen said somehow missing extreme tension that was in the room. “Who’s Bob Vance?”

“Oh,” Pam gave an easy laugh as she retrieved her soda. “You mean Phyllis’s fiancé? He works across the hall at Vance Refrigeration,” she explained. “And believe me, once you meet him, you’ll never forget it. Why, is Phyllis’s giving you a hard time?”

“Yeah,” Karen replied. “She just about ripped my head off when I told her I didn’t know who Bob Vance was. I just moved here, how does she expect me to know?”

“I know, right?” Pam agreed. “I wouldn’t worry about her, though. Do as Stanley does and basically ignore her. It’s Angela, the little blonde woman, you have to watch out for.”

“Yeah, thanks for the tip,” Karen said with a smile.

“No problem.”

Jim felt a tad nervous as he listened to the conversation. It was good, he assured himself, that Karen and Pam got a long. If they didn’t, it could be much worse for him. 

“Angela's the one you said is dating Dwight, right?” Jim asked, speaking for the first time.

“Yeah,” Pam replied. “She’s the one I told you Dwight was sneaking around with until the affair was found out when Dwight tried to take Michael’s job.”

Jim laughed thinking back to their conversation on the phone. “Oh, right, I forgot about you telling me that.” Karen gave him a strange look and he realized he may have been giving himself away too much. 

There was an uneasy silence between the three of them.

“So, uh,” Pam stuttered. “I realize you’re probably getting settled in and everything but maybe, uh, sometime, we could get coffee and catch up or something.” When Karen gave her an odd look she corrected herself. “I mean, the three of us could, um, I could help you guys get acclimated to Scranton.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Karen answered for the both of them. 

Pam stared at him, waiting for some sort of response. “Uh, sure,” he gave. He felt conflicted. He wasn’t sure that spending more time with Pam would help the situation. He knew he’d only grow more attached and that wouldn’t be healthy for him nor fair to Karen, whom he cared for, his girlfriend. 

“Well, I should get back,” Pam said walking towards the door. “Michael has me setting up for his big conference room meeting this afternoon. If you’re wise, you’ll hide out here or something.”

“Thanks,” he replied.

Karen waited until Pam left before she spoke. “I realize this is kind of a weird thing to ask but have you, uh, met her before?” she asked, almost in an accusatory tone. “Because I thought you said that didn’t know anyone from the Scranton branch except Michael.”

Jim shifted out of his seat and to the vending machine as if physically distancing himself from Karen would make the uncomfortable conversation any easier. “No, not really.”

Karen turned towards him. “Really? Cause you’re acting like you have.”

Jim stared intently at the choices on the soda machine. “Yeah, well, you know that convention back in September? She was there helping out Michael and that’s when I met her. And, you know, she seemed a little lonely so I had dinner with her one night.” And then afterwards slept with her…twice, he added in his head. He was grateful he Karen couldn’t see his face. “I hardly think hanging around someone for one day constitutes as knowing them. So, you know, no big deal.”

“Oh, okay,” Karen replied not sounding as though anything was wrong with what he had said. “So, what do you think this conference room meeting is going to be about?” she asked. “God, I don’t know how much of Michael Scott I can take…”

He let out a breath of relief when she changed the subject and finally made a selection. When he reached down, he realized that he had hit the wrong button and now had a Peach Iced Tea. He didn’t care for peach all that much but he drank it anyway. 

\--

Pam headed to her car after the long, disastrous day. Most days at work were usually insane with Michael running the show but today had been just awful. Michael managed to insult every one of the new people along with causing one of them to quit. She wouldn’t be surprised if the people from Stamford all eventually left. Most of all, she was upset over how things were with Jim. All day, she tried talking to him, sitting next to him, communicating in any fashion, but with the exception of when he first arrived, he seemed distant, cold almost. She chided herself for being so optimistic about the situation and wished she had never had gotten her hopes up in the first place.

“Hey, Pam, can we talk a second?” She was a little surprised to see Jim approach her. He must have been waiting for her, but didn’t know what to think. She noticed that Karen was in his car waiting for him, so any real conversation that needed to be had would have to wait. 

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” she replied, attempting to sound casual although she was sure the nervousness leaked into her voice.

He seemed unsure of what to say. “Uh, I just, wanted to say I’m sorry if things were weird today.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said quickly, trying to appear aloof, as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

“Oh,” he looked down. “Yeah, and about Karen, we…we didn’t start dating until after…you know…so I didn’t want you to think…” his voice trailed off. 

He had a girlfriend. She had suspected the conclusion all day but hearing him say it broke her heart just a little. “No, I didn’t think anything…” she lied. 

“Oh,” he frowned. “Alright.”

“Yeah,” she was close to tears. “And besides, that night was just that night, right? You’re free to do what you want.”

There was a long pause before he spoke. “Right,” he looked defeated but Pam didn’t notice because she was too busy staring at the ground. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” she responded in a forced voice before jetting away. 

The minute she got into her car, she burst into tears.


	9. Chapter 9

For Pam, it started with jellybeans. Every month she placed a new bowl of candy on her desk for the office to share. December just happened to be the month she chose jellybeans. They hadn’t spoken since they day the Stamford people arrived but the morning she placed the jellybeans on her desk, Jim walked over, grabbed a few and gave her a simple smile before popping them in his mouth as he sat down at his desk. The next day, he returned to her desk for more and this time she smiled back at him; an innocent exchange but for Pam, it gave her a small sense of renewed hope. 

Over the next week, the began to have small conversations, nothing too involved or ever more than work related, but still, Pam looked forward to those times in the morning when Jim would come and chat with her. Occasionally, Karen would be with him and if it weren’t for the fact that Karen was dating Jim, Pam would actually like Karen. She seemed like a good person but Pam couldn’t help having fantasies where Karen would suddenly disappear from Scranton. And no matter how well they got along, Pam always relished the times Jim visited her Karen free. 

The week after that, Jim began to ask her questions; things she liked, things she didn’t like. He played it off as small talk but she was beginning to get the impression that Jim was up to something. Not wanting to upset the delicate routine they had established, she didn’t question his motives. With every talk they had, Pam was sure that they were making small steps to becoming friends and she feared if she asked if he had ulterior motives, it might destroy the progress they had made. She resigned herself to the fact that Karen was probably sticking around, so even if she couldn’t be with Jim romantically, she cherished the idea of a friendship. Besides, she figured, she felt it would be better if they were in a good place when she told him about the baby. 

Then, at the beginning of the third week in December, Andy asked her out. 

\--

For Jim, it started with a phone call. His third day in Scranton, he received a call from Andy. 

“Oh, god, it’s been forever since I’ve been laid,” Andy had said. 

It was bad enough that Andy had felt that the need to tell Jim in the first place but to do so at work was a bit irritating. “Okay, I’m hanging up now,” he said into the receiver. 

“No, wait,” Andy had pleaded. “Man, you’ve got to help me.” 

Jim had sighed into the phone. “I don’t know if I can.”

“One of these women in this office has got to be loose enough to get with me,” Andy had continued. 

“Right,” Jim had said. “Yeah, I don’t really know any of these women…”

Andy had kept on chattering. “Kelly seems like she’d be easy, but I’m not that into Indian women and then there’s Angela, but she never smiles. Oh, maybe the receptionist, Pam.”

His first reaction to Pam had been a most definite no. He didn’t want Andy anywhere near her. But when he had turned around and looked at her, and when she had given him a hopeful smile, an idea had popped into his head. He told Andy that the plan would take some time and that he would get back to him. Then, he had stood, going straight for the jellybeans, giving Pam a smile as he did so.

It was originally supposed to be just a prank. After their encounter in the parking lot, he assumed that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him but as the weeks slipped by, and he found himself going up there more and more, he realized that she may be enjoying his company as much as he hers. If nothing else, they were starting to become friends, or at least work friends, as they still never spent any time with each other outside of Dunder-Mifflin. Eventually, even though his girlfriend worked with him, he found that his favorite time of day was the morning when he first came in and chatted with Pam. 

After two weeks of small chats, he had gathered the information (on Pam and on others) he needed to pull of the prank and on the morning in question, pulled Andy aside, told him what he needed to know, and told him to go for it. 

\--

That morning, Jim took a handful of jellybeans from the bowl, grinned at Pam and without saying a word, sat down at his desk. Pam eyed him suspiciously; it was the first time since he started visiting her desk in the morning that he didn’t at least say hi. 

Five minutes later, Andy approached her desk. “Hello, lovely lady,” he said attempting to be smooth. 

Pam broke away from her work to look at him oddly. Andy rarely ever talked to her and now he was at her desk, attempting to make sexy eyes at her; only on Andy, it made him look a little insane. She wasn’t sure what was happening.

“Hey, Andy…”

“You know,” he continued. “I hear you’re single. And I am also single. Do you know what that makes us if we were to put ourselves together? A double.”

“What?” she was incredibly confused.

“Look, you’re hot,” he continued, not noticing her jaw drop. “You’re like Pam Babely. Pam Babelicious. And I want to ask you out….”

“…no…” Pam began shaking her head. 

“But why should I ask you, when I can serenade you…”

“Oh, my god…”

Then Andy did something amazing. He began to sing Billy Ray Cyrus’s Achy Breaky Heart…with an extreme southern accent…in falscetto…in Pig Latin… 

“On’t-day ell-tay my eart-hay, my ach-ay reak-bay eart-hay/I ust-jay on’t-day hink-tay it’d understand-ay….”

Pam sat there shocked at the show going on in front of her. 

“And-ay if you ell-tay my eart-hay, my achy-ay reaky-bay eart-hay/He might-may low-bay up and ill-kay this an-may…”

As Andy entered a second chorus, Pam stared up at him truly amazed. How could he have possibly known how to roll up everything she disliked into one and use it to ask her out? She didn’t believe anyone in the office knew of her great dislike of that particular song except….

When the realization of what was going on dawned on her, she looked past Andy to Jim, who was watching the show with great enjoyment, one hand over his mouth to stop from laughing, though was doing a very bad job of it. She shook her head and grinned. It was on, Jim Halpert, she thought. It was so on. 

\--

Jim was leaning down, grabbing something from the fridge when he felt it, a tiny pinch on his butt. He immediately straightened and turned around to see Phyllis ogling at him. 

“You are one pretty piece of eye candy,” she told him.

His eyes bulged. “Um, what?” he asked flushing. 

“I’m a taken lady but just so you know, you’re on my list.”

“List?”

“Bob Vance knows about the list, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, you…” she moved in uncomfortably close and began to whisper. “So, if you’re ever up for a little extra lovin’ I’m available. I’d love to have one last fling before I’m married. Only, we’d have to keep it a secret ‘cause if Bob found out you laid a finger on me…or more than that,” she gave him a wink, “he’d kill you. You wouldn’t be my first one-night stand in this office, you know.” She gave him a tiny slap on the rear as she left.

His mouth gaped. On the other side of the glass, he could see Pam smirking. 

\--

She was at her desk drawing when Ryan approached her. He came around her desk and peered over her shoulder. “Wow, you know you are really good at that stuff,” he complimented. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Um, thanks…”

“You know, I’m some what of an artist myself,” Ryan said smugly, his hand coming down her back to rub it. She tried moving away from him. “Actually, I do photography. Nude photography. You know, you’d look pretty amazing nude if you lost about twenty pounds…”

Pam groaned. She knew Ryan was into weird stuff but she didn’t need to hear about it. 

“Why don’t you and I go out to dinner sometime,” he suggested. “And then maybe afterwards, I’ll take a few pictures. Maybe even read some of my poetry to you…”

“No,” she said scrunching her nose and moving away from him. “I don’t think so…”

\--

Right after lunch, just as Jim was settling back down to return to work, Meredith came up him, and promptly placed one foot on his desk, revealing her naked, veiny, thick calf. When he looked up, he saw that her blouse was unbuttoned far enough that her black bra was showing. He thought he might be a little sick.

“Come on, kid, let’s do this,” she said forcefully. “I’m horny and hungry and only have about twenty minutes.”

“Oh, god,” Jim managed to stuttered. 

“What? Don’t you want to have sex?”

He shook his head. “No…and I have a girlfriend.”

Meredith shrugged. “Well, give me another minute to down the last of my vodka and we can make it a threesome. I don’t mind doing girls when I’m drunk enough, just as long as I’m on top…”

\--

Creed came up to her desk a little after one and stared directly at her breasts. 

“Would you like something, Creed?” Pam asked.

“I was told that for five bucks, you’d give a free show.” He slammed five bucks on the table. “So, take that top off and let those things swing, mama.”

\--

Around three, Jim was in the break room grabbing a snack when Dwight barged in irate and kicking. A stern Angela came in after.

“How dare you!” he screamed. “The women of this office are delicate flowers. How dare you try to take advantage of that!”

“Dwight, Dwight,” Jim said holding his hands out to protect himself from Dwight’s flailing legs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Dwight stopped and looked down at Angela. She gave him a hard look and handed over to small card. “This was left on Ms. Martin’s desk ten minutes ago,” Dwight explained. “Apparently, it was from you.”

Angela arched an eyebrow at him.

Dwight handed Jim the card and began to read aloud. “Dear Sexy Mama. You have such a tight ass. I’d like to take that tight ass and hump it, hump it real good….Okay, I did not write that,” he said as he flung the card onto one of the tables. He was flushed beyond belief. “I…so did not write that…”

From somewhere in the annex, he heard hysterical laughter. 

\--

“So, what the hell was going on all day?” Karen asked Jim as they left for the evening. “I swear, I saw, like, every girl in the office hit on you.”

“Yeah, that was a prank gone haywire,” Jim explained. 

“You did a prank and didn’t tell me?” Karen said, sounding a little hurt. “I want in next time.”

“Really?” he said, surprised. “I didn’t think you were into that stuff.”

“Oh, c’mon,” she said. “I’m not completely void of a sense of humor. So, tell me about this prank…”

\--

Pam went to bed incredibly giddy that night. It was a good day, she thought to herself. It had been a very long time since she had that much fun at work. A truly, good day. It wasn’t until she was half asleep that she realized that she and Jim hadn’t spoken a single word to each other all day long.


	10. Chapter 10

“I saw the most adorable baby clothes in the mall yesterday,” Pam’s sister Penny told her. Pam had Penny and Isabelle over to hel decorate her apartment for Christmas. They were currently decorating the small, fake tree Pam had placed on a table next to the window in the living room. “They were for toddlers though, so I didn’t pick them up. But, oh my god, Pam, I’m going to have so much fun buying stuff for you. I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt.”

Pam helped Isabelle string up the lights. “I know, I can’t believe I’m going to be a mom. The other day I was researching day cares and hit me, I mean really hit me that I’m going to do this. I’m going to have a baby. And, I’m beginning to get excited about it. I mean I know that it’s going to be crazy and I’m never going to get sleep and it’ll cry and stink up the place but I am just looking forward to it. All of it.” 

“Aww,” Penny cooed pulling some bulbs out of a box. “I’m going to get that down in writing so that when the baby drives you nuts I can remind you that you said you were looking forward to it.”

Pam grinned and rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha, very funny. Oh, and I talked with admissions at the CC. I’m going to try to take at least one class. I know there’s no way that I’ll actually be able to be a student but, you know, there’s no reason to give up all of my art.”

“You know, Pam,” Isabelle said taking a few candy canes and placing them on the branches. “You may be able to concentrate a little more on your art work if you had a little help with the situation.”

Pam knew what she was getting at but Penny stared at her quizzically. “What do you mean, Isabelle?” Penny asked. “We’re all helping out, I offered to baby-sit when I can. I know mom and dad have talked about moving closer.”

Isabelle shook her head. “Not what I mean,” she said looking directly at Pam. “She still hasn’t told Jim yet.”

“Pam!” Penny said, stopping her unpacking of the bulbs to look slightly outraged at her sister. “I thought you were going to do that weeks ago.”

“I haven’t told anyone at work yet,” Pam said. 

“So?” Isabelle said. “No one else at work is the father. And it’s not like this is something you can keep hiding, Pam. How no one has noticed your baby bump is beyond me.”

Pam flushed slightly as she placed on of the ornaments on the tree. “I know, I know,” she said. “And, I’m going to tell him, I really am. It’s just, we’ve been getting along pretty well now. We’re becoming friends and it’s nice, you know? Plus, he has a girlfriend and, I don’t know, no need to overly complicate his life.”

“Oh, please,” Isabelle scoffed. “You’re holding out because you’re afraid he won’t ditch his girlfriend to be with you if you tell him.”

Pam placed a silver bulb on one of the branches. “I just don’t want him to ditch his girlfriend because of the baby. I would feel…guilty.”

“Pam, you don’t have to be in a romantic relationship to have him help you out,” Penny pointed out. “And Isabelle has a point, as long as you’re getting along with this guy, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the father involved.”

“Oh, it definitely would be possible,” Isabelle said. “Problem is, she totally wants him. Don’t you Pam?”

Pam picked at the plastic pine needles and let out a sigh. There was no use in denying it. “Yeah…I do.”

\--

Pam felt bad for Karen. She actually felt legitimacy bad for her because while she was used to dealing with hostility from Angela, Karen had not and Pam strongly felt that no one deserved such abuse. It was a Christmas party, for god’s sake. So, when Karen stormed out of the party-planning meeting, clearly upset at Angela’s harsh remarks, Pam felt as though maybe she should put her feelings aside and let Karen know it was alright.

When she approached Karen’s desk, Pam realized that she hadn’t exactly been the most friendly when she arrived. Granted, Pam had her reasons, if nothing else, she was just plain jealous that Karen was dating the man she wanted but Karen didn’t deserve the coldness Pam was giving her. As far as she knew, Karen had no knowledge of the situation, therefore, had done nothing wrong. So, Pam felt it time that she cut the other girl a little slack. 

“Hey,” Pam said, not directly looking at her, instead playing with the cuff of her sleeve. “I’m sorry about what went down in the meeting. Angela can be a little intense sometimes.”

Karen looked a little surprised to hear her say that but grateful nonetheless. “Yes, thank you,” she said. “I mean, what is wrong with that woman. Doesn’t she like to have any fun?”

Pam let out a little laugh. “You’ve got to remember that her idea of fun is dating Dwight and playing with about fifty cats. Yeah, so, I really liked a lot of your ideas for the Christmas party. I think we could definitely have karaoke or something. Anything to inject some life into this thing. It’s bad enough that Michael is taking his break-up out on all of us, no need for Angela to make it worse.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Karen said getting interested. “We should totally throw our own party. We could have drinks, music, and totally take Angela down.” 

“Yeah, that would be really fun,” Pam agreed. “Let’s come up with some ideas.”

“Sure,” Karen smiled. “Hey, thanks for doing this,” she said as she pulled out a pad of paper and pen to take notes with. “I hope this doesn’t sound too weird or whatever but I don’t know if I’ve felt like I’ve really fit in since I’ve come here. You seem like a really nice person, if you ever want to hang out, like outside of work, that’d be kinda cool. It’d be nice to have another friend here besides Jim.”

A wave guilt washed over her. She could understand that Karen would be incredibly lonely; she was, after all, the new girl in town. “Thanks…maybe we can.” 

\--

She was in the break room preparing for the party when Roy entered to get a soda. “Hey,” he said tentatively as he walked towards the vending machine. 

“Hi,” she said kindly. She hadn’t seen much of Roy lately but when he did come around, he was always considerate of her. 

“Getting ready for the party?” he asked as he put quarters in the machine. 

“Yeah,” Pam replied. 

“So,” his voice was hesitant. “How are you doing? Okay?”

Pam nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been fine. You?”

“Yeah, I’ve been alright,” he responded grabbing the soda. There was a slight pause before he spoke again. “You know, it’s gonna be kinda weird without you around for Christmas.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. She did use to spend a lot of time around the holidays with Roy’s family but she hadn’t even thought about the fact that she wouldn’t be with them that year. Too many things were going on in her life. 

“Yeah, mom’s making those yams you like,” Roy continued. “And Kenny misses you.” He rubbed his hands nervously on his work pants. “You know, if you’re not doing anything, you can always come stay with us, so, you know, you don’t have to be alone.”

“Roy,” she let out a sigh. “You know I love your family, you know I do but we can’t fall into that again.”

He looked a little hurt. “Yeah, right,” he said. “I should, uh, get back downstairs.”

“Roy…” She started to say but he headed out without another word. Karen passed him on her way in.

Karen smiled at her. “Are you seeing anyone? Cause there are some good looking guys from the warehouse,” she commented.

“Oh, no, I, uh-“ Pam let out a sigh. She somehow thought I’ve fallen for your boyfriend and am having his baby would not go over too well.

\--

The party was going rather well. Not only had she and Karen thwarted Angela, they also managed to give their coworkers what they really wanted at a Christmas party, a good time. She was laughing, enjoying herself, when she noticed Jim standing by himself, leaning against a vending machine.

“Hey,” she said coming over to him. “You’re back, how was it with Michael?”

He smiled at her. “You can’t imagine…wait a minute, you probably can. Well, at least I can say he’s no longer depressed, or rather, in a lot of denial, because he brought back a Asian waitress half his age.”

“Oh, my god,” Pam laughed. 

“Yeah, I know,” he agreed. “So, this is fun. Angela was okay with the whole drinking thing?”

“No, Karen and I came up with this,” she told him. He looked at her as if she was joking. “Yeah, it was kind of a way to get back at Angela.” She paused and shuffled her feet. “She’s really nice. Karen, I mean, not Angela. Angela is not nice. But, uh, Karen, I like her.”

Jim was quiet; she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Yeah, I like her too,” he said softly. Clearly wanting to avoid that conversation, Jim reached over, grabbed a bow that was left on one of the tables and placed it on her head, patting it down firmly a few times. She laughed. “So, doing anything fun for Christmas?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe visit my parents. You?”

“Karen and I are going back to Stamford,” Jim told her. “Visit family and stuff.”

“Oh,” she grew quiet. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“A week or so,” he replied. “We’ll probably stay for new year’s.” 

“Um, Jim,” she started. Her heart began to race when she decided it was finally time to approach the subject she had so long been avoiding. “When you get back, do you think that, maybe, you and I could, I don’t know, get some coffee or something?”

“Uh,” he hesitated, making her more nervous. “Yeah, sure, we can hang out.”

“Actually, there’s something…”

She was interrupted by Karen joining them; margaritas in her hand. She handed one to Jim, one to Pam and kept one for herself. 

“I think we need to make a toast,” Karen said raising her glass high. “To a Nutcracker Christmas,” she said laughing. 

“To a Nutcracker Christmas,” Jim and Pam said with her, clicking their glasses together. 

Jim and Karen downed their drinks but Pam lowered her glass, leaving the drink untouched. 

“Come on, Pam, drink up,” Karen insisted. “You were the one that suggested cherry.”

“No, really,” Pam said. “I don’t really feel like it.” 

Karen looked at her oddly. “Really? The drinking game was your idea.”

Kelly, who was standing nearby, overheard the conversation and chimed in. “What? Pam’s not drinking? Aww…Pam’s so fun when she’s drunk. You guys should have seen her last year at the Dundies. She fell off a barstool, it was hilarious.”

“Aw, man,” Jim said, his eyes wide with excitement. “We missed drunk Pam? I would have loved to have seen that.”

Pam flushed a little. “No, no, guys I can’t. I mean, I shouldn’t. I mean…”

“C’mon,” Karen egged. “One drink isn’t going to hurt you.”

“No, really, I don’t want to,” Pam insisted. “I’m just not feeling up to it tonight.”

“Why not?” Kelly asked seriously, one hand on her hip, studying her up and down. Then, Kelly let out a gasp, her eyes wide. “Oh, my god!” her hands flew up to her mouth.

Pam began to shake her head, desperately trying to telegraph to Kelly not to share the information that she had just figured out. But Kelly was not one to keep a secret. 

“Pam, are you pregnant?”


	11. Chapter 11

The snow began to fall down around them. It was a cold, mid-December evening, and Jim and Karen skated around on the park pond hand in hand. They hadn’t gone out on a date date since they arrived in Scranton, though Karen spent a majority of her free time at Jim’s apartment. 

“I haven’t been skating in years,” Karen said as she clung on to Jim. He gave a little laugh, he could skate pretty well and it was amusing watching Karen try to keep her balance. He held on to her arms for support. “My feet are killing me.”

“Try to use your knees and legs more,” he advised but after a few laps, he sensed that Karen needed a break and brought her over to the side railing. “Hey, it was your idea to go skating,” he reminded him.

She reached down, grabbed some snow from the bank and threw it at him. “I just thought it would be nice for us to go out and do something for a change.” 

“I’m not complaining,” he said with a smirk. “If fact, I find this quite entertaining.” 

“I’m so glad I can entertain you,” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She frowned, upset about something. He felt like lately Karen was always upset over something. “Do you ever miss Stamford?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “I miss my family, some of my friends but the city? Stamford, Scranton, it all seems the same to me.”

“Oh,” Karen replied solemnly. She leaned over the railing.

“Hey,” he asked concerned. He rubbed her back gently. “What’s going on?”

“I just feel…out of place here,” she admitted. “I don’t feel like I’m fitting in at work and my entire social network consists of you. And I miss Stamford, I miss home.”

“Oh, Karen, I’m sorry,” he said. He hadn’t realized how hard the move was for her. 

“Well, it’s easy for you. I mean, you were just a shell of a person when we got here. I thought you were having just as hard a time as I’m having. But now you seem fine, fitting in, maybe even better than when we left.” she said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Everyone likes you.”

He tilted his head and gave her a lop-sided smile. “C’mon, who doesn’t like you? I like you. Isn’t that what matters anyway?”

She shook her head with a smile, then grabbed on to him for support rather than the railing. “Why don’t we go home for Christmas. I mean Stamford. Take some time, rejuvenate. Maybe the merger was just bad timing for me, you know?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he replied. 

She looked pretty in that moment, the snow falling in her hair, a playful smile on her lips. Doubt about her was always nagging in the back of his mind, but times like these, he was reminded why he did like her. He leaned down to give her a soft kiss. 

“C’mon,” he said holding out his hand for her. She grabbed on. 

\--

Christmas at the Stamford branch was never a big ordeal, a simple Christmas party, barely any directions and that was it. So, when Jim learned that Christmas was one of the biggest events in the year in Scranton, he took it as an excuse to do as little work as possible. The day of the actual Christmas party, Jim didn’t do any work at all and spent a majority of the day bugging Dwight, which was becoming one of his favorite activities. 

He also finished his Christmas present surprise for Pam. It wasn’t exactly a Christmas present. Maybe just a small token of friendship. He really wasn’t clear on what the rules were for a situation such as theirs but since he felt they were finally on a good track that maybe a little gift wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Besides, it was Christmas and it was always nice giving presents on Christmas. 

A little before noon, he walked up to her desk, placing a medium size box on it. “Hey,” he said. “I got you a little something.”

She looked at him oddly; she obviously hadn’t expected a thing from him. “Jim, what is this?”

“Just a little something for you,” he replied, nudging the present closer. “Open it.”

A little, excited grin crossed her face as she reached for the present. She unwrapped it and pulled a medium sized jar of jellybeans out of the box. “Thank you,” she said with a laugh. “You really didn’t have to.” She placed the jar on the counter. 

“Yeah, I did,” he said. “Cause I am the one responsible for eating all the ones you put out. It’s only fair that I replenish your stock every once in a while.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” she replied happily. 

“You know,” he said, pointing to the jar. “You should probably open that up and see if there’s anything else in there besides jellybeans.”

She looked at him curiously as she turned jar of the lid. “There’s more?” she asked. He watched amused as her slender fingers dipped inside the jar and began roaming around the jellybeans. Finally, she found what he had placed in there and pulled out a tiny, clear plastic package of mini-color pencils. She let out a laugh. 

“I’ve noticed you always sketch in black and white,” he explained. “Now you can branch out, put a little color into your life.”

He loved that she gave him an adoring look. “Thank you, I’ll do that.”

He shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal and grabbed a few jellybeans. “Just doing what I do best.”

“I wish I had something for you,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it, Pam,” he said. He hadn’t expected a thing from her. 

“Yeah, but I feel-“ she stopped as though an idea had struck her. She opened up one of her desk drawers and pulled out the sketchbook she always worked in. She flipped through the pages until she found the sketch she wanted and ripped it out of the book, placing it on top of the desk for him to see. “Here, you can have a Pam Beesly original.”

Touched, he picked it up to examine it. “Thanks, Pam,” he said. “Why this one? I mean, I think all your work is great and I’m flattered you’d share your artwork with me but any significance to it?”

She tilted her head. “Don’t you recognize it?”

The sketch was that of a restaurant and after a good minute of staring at it, it dawned on him. “This was the restaurant in the hotel, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. “It what I was working on when you sat down with me that day.” 

“Oh, Pam,” he said. She had given him something special, something probably more special than she realized, a memento from that night. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He wondered, in that moment, if maybe that night meant something more to her, too.

\--

“Pam, are you pregnant?” Kelly asked.

Jim, along with the entire room waited with baited breath for an answer. 

“Uh, no, no,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “That’s crazy.”

Jim watched her carefully. Pam was avoiding eye contact with everyone, including him and her face was flushed as scarlet as her sweater. She couldn’t be pregnant, though, could she, he thought.

“You’re such a liar,” Kelly accused. “You’ve gained a ton of weight in the last few months. And I didn’t want to say anything at first, cause, like, that would be rude, but honestly Pam, who only puts on weight in the front?”

“I knew her boobs were bigger,” Kevin added.

Jim cringed at the vulgarity of the comment but actually had to agree with Kevin. He remembered Pam’s breasts fondly and they were definitely bigger.

“And you eat, like, constantly,” Kelly continued. “And you’re moody and bitchier than usual and are constantly going to the bathroom. Don’t tell me I don’t know the signs. You are so pregnant.”

Pam looked like she had been pushed into a corner. But she was, Jim thought, stunned at the revelation. She was pregnant. He wondered how he hadn’t noticed it. Everyone’s eyes stared intently at her. 

“Alright,” she finally said a bit of relief crossing her face. “Alright, I wasn’t planning on sharing this until after the holidays but, yes, I am pregnant.”

Jim stood there; still a little in shock, not sure how to react to the news. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was going through. 

“Who’s the father?” Kelly asked immediately.

Who was the father? That’s what he wanted to know, Jim thought as he tried to work out a how far along she possibly was. He couldn’t gage it that well since he hadn’t been around too many pregnant women. But she couldn’t be that far along, which meant he was candidate. The realization hit him hard. He could be a father.

Pam didn’t answer the question, instead accepted a hug from Karen. “Wow, congratulations, you must be so excited,” Karen said warmly. 

“Thanks,” Pam said giving a weak smile. Unfortunately, everyone else had an unwarranted comment or rude question lined up. 

“Who’s the father?” Kelly whined. Pam still didn’t answer. 

“Pam, you know you are supposed to disclose this stuff to HR,” Toby said frowning. Jim wondered why he looked so upset over the situation.

“It wasn’t something I planned. It just happened,” Pam admitted. “And, I had been planning on telling everyone…eventually.”

“Wow, Pam, that’s great for you,” Oscar said, though there was a bit of condescension in his voice. “But I’m a little surprised at your lack of responsibility. I thought you were smarter than to get pregnant on accident. Are you at all prepared for the financial aspect alone?”

They hadn’t been that careful, had they? Jim replayed the night in his head. They hadn’t used a condom. In fact, contraception never came up; they were a little too busy being in the moment. Now that he thought about it, it was downright stupid of him not to at least ask if she was on the pill.

Pam was beginning to look flustered. “I know there’s a lot to think about,” Pam defended herself. “But I’ve known about the pregnancy for a while and have been preparing…”

But if he was the father, she would have told him by now, right? She still avoided eye contact with him. But then she was avoiding everyone’s.

“Who’s the father?” Kelly asked impatiently. 

“C’mon, Pam,” Ryan interjected. “You can barely do your job at reception, how do you expect to take care of a baby?”

Pam looked hurt at the assumption and Jim felt Ryan grossly misjudged her. 

“I think I’ll do just fine, thank you,” Pam snapped at him.

“Yeah, so are we going to get any of the details?” Meredith asked. “Like, how was the sex, was it good? What positions did you use?”

Phyllis joined in. “Oh, yes, Pam, you’ll have to fill us in. Bob and I want to get pregnant eventually. How’d you do it?”

Pam looked a little mortified. “I don’t think that this is an appropriate conversation.”

“Who’s the OB-GYN?” Creed asked. “And can I get her number?”

“You know what,” Pam said in a forceful tone, “I think we’re done talking about my pregnancy. How about we get back to the Christmas party?”

Just then, Angela and Dwight entered the room. “What’s going on in here?” Dwight asked.

“We’re discussing Pam being pregnant,” Meredith informed him.

“And how she won’t tell us who the father is,” Kelly added, incredibly annoyed. 

“Pfft,” Dwight scoffed. “Pam can’t be a mother. She’s not cut out to be one.”

Angela gave Pam a sneer. “Well, I always knew you were a hussy,” she said. “But I never realized you were an actual whore. You know you’ve already ruined this child’s life by making it a bastard, don’t you?”

“Hey, that’s enough,” Jim had finally snapped. He hated the way they were treating her; that they had the nerve to make such comments. “Why don’t we all just leave Pam alone, okay? I’m sure she has enough to think about without all of you riding down her throat.”

Pam finally looked at him, giving him a thankful glance but she seemed incredibly overwhelmed and almost close to tears. Without a word, she exited the room.

“You guys are all jerks, you know that,” Karen told them before following Pam out. 

Jim was close on her heels and soon he and Karen joined Pam at reception where Pam was beginning to pack up her things. “I can’t believe them,” Karen said. “They should be happy for you.”

“I know,” Pam said, a little choked up. “I just—you know what, I think I just need to go home.”

“Hey,” Jim said in a kind voice. “Don’t let them get to you. Their lives are all pretty much screwed up so to make themselves feel better, they pick on you.”

“I know, I know,” Pam reiterated. “I just didn’t want it to come out like this, you know?”

Just then, the warehouse guys, including Roy, came in for the party. Roy, noticing an upset Pam, came immediately to her side. 

“Pammy, are you okay?” Roy asked, instantly concerned. He rushed to her side. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Pam told him as she pulled her coat down from the rack. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound or look fine,” Roy observed. Jim noticed that he seemed a little aggressive with her. 

She stopped gathering her things for a moment to stare at him. “I’m pregnant, Roy,” she said.

Roy looked like a deer in headlights and Jim wondered if he had had the same look when he first heard it. 

“You’re- You’re what?”

“I’m going to have a baby,” she repeated, buttoning up her coat. 

“I’m going to be a father?” Roy asked dumbly.

Pam looked annoyed. “Roy, we haven’t had sex in about a year,” she reminded him. She then looked directly at Jim. “You are definitely not the father.”

“Wait, then who…” Roy started.

“Thank you guys for trying to be nice,” Pam told Karen and Jim. “But, you know what, I’m tired and cranky and have about a million things going on in my head and in my body and I really wasn’t up to telling everyone at work that I’m pregnant so right now, I just want more than anything to be alone. Merry Christmas.”

With that, she stormed out of the office.

\--

He regretted that he hadn’t jumped in earlier to help her out. The office Christmas party had resumed and no one seemed to care that Pam had left so upset, though he could tell that they were all talking about the situation. He chided himself for not stopping their comments earlier. If he had, he could have calmed her down, let her know that she was just going to be fine. 

And he could have gotten that nagging question answered. He sat on the couch next to reception going over all the possibilities and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there was a definite chance that he was going to be a father. The idea scared him. He could barely keep track of himself, how was he going to be a father to anyone? He had so many thoughts swirling around his brain, he didn’t know where to start. He felt overwhelmed himself.

Breaking him from his thoughts, Michael came and sat down next to him on the couch letting out a heavy sigh as he did so. “She left,” Michael said, upset. “My new girlfriend left.”

“I’m sorry,” Jim said, distracted enough that he wasn’t paying that much attention to Michael’s troubles.

“My new girlfriend left and my old girlfriend Carol left,” Michael continued. ‘This day has just sucked.”

‘It has been a very unexpected day, hasn’t it?” Jim commented.

“I feel like crap,” Michael lamented.

“Yeah…” Jim sighed. ‘Well, but, you know, maybe it’s for the better. Maybe things are supposed to happen for a reason. Maybe Carol dumping you is paving the way for something new. Something you may not have ever anticipated happening. Maybe, in the end you’ll get something good out of it.”

“Yeah, like what?” Michael asked.

“I don’t know, yet. I don’t know…” Jim didn’t have an answer for him.


	12. Chapter 12

“You seem like you don’t even want to discuss it,” Karen said as she and Jim drove to work that day. 

“Because I feel like we’ve discussed it indefinitely over the past couple of weeks,” Jim argued. “I don’t know if there’s anything left to discuss. We just got here, Karen, and yes, I get that you’re having a hard time. I do, I sympathize with you. But there’s no reason we should just pack our bags and leave. I mean, it’s been, what, like a month? And you’ve already written off Scranton.”

“Yeah, me and the rest of the crew,” Karen reminded him. “You, Andy, and I are the only ones left. And Andy is insane. Doesn’t that clue you in on something? That this place just may not be for us? So, why can’t you at least talk to David Wallace about at least getting a transfer? And I’ll do the same just like we talked about. And while we wait to see what happens there, we can maybe send out resumes to places in New York or Hartford or even Philadelphia. You know what’s going to happen if we stay here, don’t you? We’ll get stuck and be here for the rest of our lives. And didn’t you once tell me that if this job became you’re career you’d throw yourself in front of a train?”

Jim had said that and it stung to hear the words thrown back at him. “Yes, okay, I did say that…years ago. But this isn’t the worst job in the entire world.”

“No, it’s not,” Karen agreed, though still tense. “But you aren’t passionate about it either. Why is it that you have absolutely no ambition? It’s like you’re content just…existing.”

Jim remained silent for a moment, hating that she had hit upon a truth. “You know, it was your idea to come here in the first place,” Jim said softly.

“Yeah,” Karen shot back. “Because the alternative was to be unemployed. But now that we’re stable, there’s no reason not to move forward with our lives.”

“Who says we can’t move forward with our lives in Scranton?” Jim argued back. “Why is it that you think the only people who have lives live in New York or Hartford or Philadelphia?”

“Would you like to inform me what it is about this place that is making you so damn stubborn?” Karen asked. “Because I can’t figure it out. So, please, enlighten me as to why Scranton has such a hold on you. Just give me something so I can understand.”

Jim remained silent.

After a minute passed, Karen shook her head and threw up her hands. “And we’re back to the beginning of the argument,” she muttered. 

\--

Pam was getting pretty good at reading the back of Jim’s neck and today, Jim’s neck was telling her that there was something up between him and Karen. She hadn’t seen either of them since the Christmas party. She had taken the day after off and when she returned to work, he and Karen had already left for their vacation. She knew that today would be their first day back but she expected them to be in better moods than they were. Neither of them were chatty with the other like they usually were nor did Jim smile at her like he usually did. On top of that, Jim had barely said hi to Pam when he arrived. After everything that had happened before Christmas, she had expected a little more. 

She noticed that he and Karen didn’t take their usual break together, so when he entered the break room alone, she followed him. “So,” she said clasping and unclasping her hands anxiously. He seemed distracted enough not to notice her come in so she took a seat next to him. “Hey,” she said, trying to use her most friendly voice. 

“Oh, hey,” he said, giving a slight smile, though he still seemed fazed. He took a sip from his coffee. 

“So, um,” she wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. “How was your vacation?”

“Fine,” he replied simply. “How did your holidays go?”

“Alright,” she answered. “Christmas was nice, I was with my parents. New Year’s was…” she drifted off. New Year’s was lonely. She spent the evening by herself because usually that was a night she and Roy used to celebrate together. The day before New Year’s Eve, she even contemplated calling Roy just to have someone to be with but she thought might have implied too much and decided against it. She gave Jim a shrug. “It just was.”

“Right,” he said nodding. “Good.”

The awkward silence was back. She had thought they were past these strained conversations but apparently not. She was trying, really trying but for some reason he seemed so closed off. “So…I couldn’t help but notice,” she was never good with these type of confrontations. “Is everything okay? You just seem…I don’t know.”

He looked up at her as if he was surprised that she would even notice. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Really?” she said adding a friendly smile. “Cause, you know, we can talk if you like.”

He looked as though he were searching for the right words. “It’s just Karen and I got into this fight over the vacation and it’s kind of boiled over into work.”

“Oh,” she said trying very hard to repress any kind of excitement over the words. She would never wish anyone to go through a hard time but she couldn’t help but be a little happy that Jim and Karen weren’t in the greatest of places. “Anything I can help with?”

He hesitated, playing with the lid of his cup a little. “So, we’ve been here a month, right? And Karen is, you know, having a hard time, just, being here. But instead of trying to make the best of the situation, she’s ready to pack up and leave at the first opportunity. I mean it was her idea in the first place to come—“

Pam’s heart sunk, her face visibly falling when she heard his words. She knew the official reason for why he transferred was so that he had a job but deep down, she had believed, hoped, that he had come to see her, maybe even be with her again. But now knowing it was Karen’s idea? That had hurt. “Oh,” she managed to get out.

She thought that Jim must have noticed her reaction because he quickly tried to recover. “I mean, I wanted to come but she-“ he couldn’t get it right. “Anyway, over vacation, Karen starts making these plans, not just for her but for me as well. Plans of moving up and out and on to better things, only she defines better as being not here. Though, she keeps masking it by saying I should stop being so content. That I should want something in life.” He paused to reflect. “I don’t know.”

Pam thought over her words carefully. As much as it pained her to tell the truth, she couldn’t continue with selfish intentions. She needed to be a good friend. “Honestly, if you feel like it’s in your best interests to move on, maybe you should.” 

He noticeably flinched when she said this, though didn’t say a word. 

“And if you feel like you should stay here, then do that,” she continued. “You can’t keep spreading yourself thin just to appease everyone around you. How is that fair to yourself? Or Karen for that matter? But, I think maybe you should understand where Karen is coming from. I get lonely. I’ve been lonely. And she just wants to feel like she fits in, just like the rest of us. But instead of attempting to fit in here, maybe she wants to try somewhere else, where she feels more comfortable. But more to the point, I think if you feel it’s in your best interest to move along with her, then you should. But don’t hold her back. Don't let her hold you back. And never, ever hold yourself back, Jim. I have to agree with her on one point. Don’t be content for the sake of being content. You’re better than this place. We’re all better than this place.”

Jim sat back, processing her words. “So, she wants me to start applying for new jobs else where, you really think I should?”

Her head screamed no but she couldn’t say that. “You should do whatever it is your heart tells you.”

He smiled at her, his face remarkably more relaxed. “Thank you,” he gave her. “Really, thank you.”

They became silent and that awkward tension resumed as neither seemed to know how to approach the elephant in the room. He played with his now empty coffee cup while she nervously toyed with her necklace.

“So,” he started slowly. “Um, so you’re pregnant.”

“Yeah,” she said with a heavy breath. She knew what was coming and yet, somehow, she didn’t seem prepared. “I’m pregnant.” Her heart pounded in her chest.

“How come you never told me?” he asked

“I didn’t realize you were the first person I was supposed to tell,” she answered. It was meant as a joke but her words had come out harsher than she had intended, making him recoil some. Of course, he should have been the first person to know. “I’m sorry, I’m all over the place these days.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” he sounded hurt and looked down at the table. “So, um…” she was ready for it, trying get her answer ready. “So, uh, just how far along are you?”

“What?” she asked. It wasn’t what she was expecting.

But before he could say anything, Michael raced into the room. “PAAAM!!” he screamed. He braced himself on the table, he was clearly out of breath. “Pam!! It’s terrible. It’s horrible,” he whined. 

“What is?” she asked.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Michael continued melodramatically. “Brace yourself, because we are at threat level midnight.”

Jim snickered. “Michael, tell us what’s going on.”

“It’s Jan,” Michael said, almost with fear in his eyes. “She knows about the picture and she’s coming. She’s coming!”

Pam gave Jim an apologetic look and reluctantly rose from the table. Their conversation would have to be put on hold.

“Come on, Michael,” Pam said soothingly. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as threat level midnight.”

\--

When they weren’t running around trying to save Michael’s job that day, the employees of Dunder-Mifflin were working on inventory. Jim managed to get out of his duties by pitting Dwight against Andy in who could do inventory the fastest, the two of them trying so hard to out do the other that it left Jim free to wander and do as he liked.

He found Karen in one of the aisles counting reams of regular copy paper. He walked up beside her, leaned against the shelf and gave her his flirty grin. “Hey,” he said.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Really? You think you’re going to charm your way out of me being mad at you?”

He shrugged. “It’s worked before.”

She rolled her eyes and began to walk away. 

Jim quickly went after her and grabbed her hand. “Wait,” he said in a more serious tone. “Look, I know I’ve been somewhat of an unresponsive ass lately.”

“Okay,” she said, crossing her arms, waiting for him to continue. 

“And I’m sorry,” he continued. 

A little smile tugged at the corner of her lips, though he could tell she was forcing herself to remain stern. “Thank you.”

“I had a talk with Pam about it,” he continued. “And she has this way of explaining things that---I don’t think Scranton is that bad. And I don’t think my mind is going to change on that. And I truly get where you’re coming from. Even if I don’t act like it, I’m on your side Karen. Pam said something that struck me, that I shouldn’t be content for being content’s sake. So, I’m willing to meet you half way. We can have an actual discussion on where we want to go in our lives. I can’t make you any promises but we can take it one step at a time, okay?”

She grinned, letting out a huge breath of relief. “That’s all I’m asking for, Halpert,” she said.

\--

She was counting pens when Karen approached her. “Hey, I just wanted to say thank you,” Karen said, a huge, glowing grin on her face. Pam wasn’t sure she liked that look.

“Um, thank you for what?” she asked trying to pretend that she had no idea what this was about.

“For talking to Jim,” Karen replied almost giddily. “He’s just been so stubborn lately and, I don’t know, after he talked with you, it seems like he’s really ready now.”

Pam looked at her curiously, she wasn’t entirely sure what Karen was getting at. “Ready for what?” she asked. It was hard not to sound too interested. 

“I think we’re going to get out of Scranton,” Karen informed her. 

“What?” Pam was shocked. That was not what she told Jim to do and maybe she had read Jim completely wrong but he didn’t sound so sure about leaving.

“Yeah, for the past couple weeks I’ve been trying to get him to start looking at other options for employment,” Karen continued, apparently not noticing that the more she talked, the more Pam had to struggle to appear happy for her. “You know, get out of Scranton. I mean, I know you’re from here and everything and I’m not trying to insult the city but there’s so much more out there to see and do. Yeah, so I think he’s ready to go see and do with me. So, thank you. You really are a good friend, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” Pam managed to mutter though she was having a hard time forming words.

Karen gave Pam’s arm a friendly rub. “If you ever need anything, let me know, ‘kay?” She gave her a smile before walking away.

Her emotions were beginning to boil over and as soon as Karen had her back turned, Pam raced out of the warehouse and into one of the hallways, barely making it to one of the benches before she burst out crying. 

She couldn’t help that she was pregnant. Granted, she could have taken measures to prevent it but it was her burden now. But burden was the wrong word because even though the baby hadn’t been born yet, she loved it more than anything. The baby was going to tie her to Scranton, at least for a while. And she was alright with that. But it wasn’t fair for her to keep Jim tied with her. Her life was with the baby now but his life didn’t have to be.

She couldn’t help that she was falling for a man she had only a one-night stand with because he felt perfect for her. So, the fact that she had unintentionally pushed him away, the fact that most of this mess felt like it was her fault, all came crashing to her at once. And she could no longer hold in everything that she was feeling. So, feeling alone as she was in that hallway, she cried harder. 

Someone came into the hallway. “Pam, Michael says he needs you—“ the minute she recognized Jim’s voice, she quickly brushed away her tears but that didn’t stop him from noticing that she had been crying. “Pam, are you okay?” he asked, quickly coming to her, sitting next to her. 

“Yeah, I—“ but she could barely get the words out before she started crying again. 

His arms were quickly around her, pulling her to him, letting her cry into his shoulder. The minute he was around her, she felt comforted, cared for. She cried for a little while longer but just the feeling of him there beside her, brushing her hair gently, softly telling her, despite not knowing why she was upset that it was all going to be okay, made all the different in the world. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, taking in as much of him as she could. And she felt immediately better, the out pouring of emotion eventually coming under control.

They broke apart slightly and her arms settled on his, her hands gripping tightly, clinging as if he were a life preserver saving her from drowning. She spoke not with her words but with her eyes and hoped that maybe he would understand just a fraction of what she was thinking. The silence was unwavering…

…There’s so much to say, I don’t know if I can articulate everything I’m thinking into words…

(…5 seconds…)

…I’m so mad, frustrated at myself for pushing you away and maybe a little at you for listening but more so myself for telling you to go….but it’s all my fault that you’re leaving…if you are leaving…and every time I think about the idea of you leaving it breaks my heart just a little more…because I didn’t tell you sooner…because I keep missing my chance… 

(…10 seconds…)

..but you have no idea how scared I am. I want to tell you…you’re the father of this wonderful baby…of course you’re the father, there’s no one else…I want to tell you so badly because then I won’t have to do this alone. And as much as I feel I can do it. As much as I convince myself that I’ll be alright…I’m so scared. And when I’m with you, I don’t feel so scared…

(…15 seconds…)

…and I’m so afraid to tell you…because I have waited so long…and how well do we really know each other?…I’m so afraid that if I tell you, I’ll lose you…we’ve been able to get this friendship going and it is so amazing…I don’t want to lose that for anything, ever. So, I’m scared to tell you…afraid that this house of cards may fall down on me…and I can’t afford to screw this up…I just can’t…

(…20 seconds…)

…and when I look at you here, now, all I can see is how beautiful you are…and I want to kiss you, oh you have no idea how much I want to kiss you and touch you and feel you inside me again…nothing ever felt so right…and I want to laugh with you and cry with you and have you hold me in you arms because nothing makes me feels as safe…and I wish that I wasn’t so hindered with fear that I could say these things out loud instead of keeping them in my head…

(…27 seconds…)

…cause the truth is, jim… the truth is I’m falling in…

“Pam?” Jim’s soothing voice broke the silence. “Are you alright?”

She let go of him to wipe away the tears. “I’m just—just feeling a little overwhelmed,” she said. “The baby hormones and stress and Michael with his stupidity. I think it’s been building up for a while.”

He didn’t look as though he quite believed her. “I can’t imagine.”

Another pause. 

“So, uh, you were saying that Michael wanted something?” she asked pulling away from him completely. 

“Oh, right,” he said. “It’s, uh, the warehouse guys. They have a nude picture of Jan on the wall and Jan is freaking out.”

Pam cracked a grin. “We probably should go help him out,” she said standing up. 

“Yeah,” he said standing up with her. “Hey, Pam-“

“Yeah?”

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

She nodded, wishing that she felt confident that she could.

\--

A few hours later, Jim was doing some final stock counts when he heard her laughing. He peered through the shelves to see Pam sitting, her back to him, talking with Roy, a smile on her face.

“You want to help with the baby?” she was saying. 

“Yeah,” Roy said with a shrug. “I can do baby stuff, even if I’m not the father.”

“Roy, I can’t even imagine—“

“Come on, I can do it,” he insisted. “I’ll throw you, like, a baby shower or something.”

She laughed again. “Oh, yeah, that would be fun,” she said. “My mom would so love that.”

“What are you talking about? Your mom loves me,” he said. 

“My mother tolerated you,” she returned. 

“So, what do you say, can I help?”

She didn’t answer for a moment. “We’ll see,” she replied.

A little bit of jealousy rose in him as he listened. She had been brought to tears earlier and he didn’t even know why. She used the veiled excuse of the pregnancy but he knew something had pushed her to tears and it physically hurt him to see her like that. He wished he could get her to open up more. He wished he could have known what she was thinking.

And now, she seemed alright, sitting there talking with her ex-fiancé and he couldn’t help but wish it was him that she was joking with. As the jealousy stirred more, he decided it best not to listen any longer. Even though he was still unsure of whether or not he was the father of her baby, at least he had the satisfaction of knowing that Roy was not.


	13. Chapter 13

Jim came in the same way he did every morning, placed his coat on the rack, his messenger bag on his chair and went to reception. Some times, when Karen was with him, they’d both stop at reception to say hi to Pam. But Karen hadn’t stayed at his place the previous night and was running behind that morning, so he took the opportunity to chat with Pam alone. She had been slightly distant since her break down in the hallway a few weeks earlier but at least they were still talking to each other, even if it was only their small conversations first thing in the morning. 

“Hey,” Jim said, grabbing a few jellybeans out of the jar. He leaned over the desk to see that she was sketching and smiled to see that she was using the colored pencils that he had given her. 

“Hey,” she said with a smile. She looked worn, he wondered if she had been having a hard time sleeping due to the pregnancy. 

She still hadn’t told him who the father was. When he first found out, he was almost certain it was him, and he began to wrap his mind around the fact that he could possibly be having a baby. But the more time went on, the more she didn’t say anything, the more he began to doubt if it really was him. She had had plenty of chances to say something, and a few times, he wondered if she was going to say something, but she never did. He decided it best not to push her on the subject, she was getting it bad enough from her coworkers, so he had limited his conversation away from the pregnancy.

“Whatcha working on?” he asked. The drawing was still mostly a sketch but he could make out an outline of a building.

“Oh, nothing really,” she said with a shrug. “My art class is tomorrow and I wanted to have something done for it. I haven’t been feeling too inspired lately so I’m drawing the building. Oh, hey, want to hear something cool?”

“Always” he said without hesitation.

“I put one of my drawings into an art contest,” she said, her face glowing. “I know it probably sounds stupid, but there’s this elementary that’s having this contest where the best drawing of the school gets a prize. They were advertising it at the college, so I thought why not.”

“Pam, that’s awesome,” Jim said, truly happy for her. “I’ll bet you win.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “Yeah, I…”

Her words were cut short when the door to the office opened. In came Michael, looking incredibly excited and behind him came a man that Jim had never seen before. Pam apparently had and let out a gasp when the two came towards reception. The man also seemed to recognize Pam, squinting at her a moment, as if to process, then quickly turned away.

“Oh, my god,” Pam said, she looked panicked. 

“What?” Jim asked, not understanding why Pam seemed flustered.

“Nothing, I just need-“ she shot up. “I gotta use the bathroom,” she claimed, rushing away from reception. 

Finding her behavior odd, Jim thought he’d ask later and took his seat at his desk just in time for Michael to make his announcement. 

“Everyone, I need your attention,” Michael announced gleefully. “Unfortunately, my dear good friend Todd Packer will no longer be with us, as he has recently been let go from the company.”

“Yeah, because of sexual harassment charges,” Dwight interjected.

Michael scrunched his nose at him. “Reasons don’t matter. But the good news that I have is that we’ve managed to find a quick replacement based on a recommendation by our own Ryan Howard. Everyone, I would like you to meet our new traveling salesman, Danny Cordray.” 

There was a scattered applause and Jim thought that Danny looked liked he wished he could be anywhere else. As Michael continued to talk, Jim studied Danny and wondered just how Pam knew him.

\--

“Hey, so you know you’re early, right?” Pam asked. She was standing in the office kitchen with Isabelle, who was there to take her to her afternoon doctor’s appointment.

“Yeah, so?” Isabelle said with a shrug. “We both get the afternoon off of work. Win-win for both of us. And besides, I get to check out Dwight this way.”

Pam scrunched her nose as she reached to the top of the fridge for some bread. “Ew. You know he has a girlfriend?”

“Oh, yeah, that little blonde chick?” Isabelle asked. “I could take her.”

“Okay, no more Dwight talk,” Pam said, grabbing a paper plate and placing four pieces of bread on it. 

“So, how are you?” Isabelle asked. She had been on vacation for the past week and was eager to catch up. “How’s the pregnancy?”

“Fine, I guess,” Pam said pulling a knife out of the drawer. “My back is killing me. Those damn chairs. How have I worked here for five years and still have the same crappy chair? Maybe I can bribe Michael to get me a new one.” She brought down the peanut butter from the cupboard and pulled out some strawberry jelly from the fridge. “Oh, so, new craving,” she said holding up the jar of jelly. “Preserves. This kid cannot get enough preserves. Anything, jellies, jams, everything. And every flavor, too, including apricot and grape, which I normally can’t stand.”

“Okay, so the baby isn’t born yet and it’s already weird,” Isabelle joked. “So, hey, want to come to my place tonight? You can relax and we can watch movies or something.”

Pam began to spread the peanut butter and jelly on the bread. “I can’t,” she responded, shaking her head. “Roy’s coming by and helping me put together my crib.”

“Pam,” Isabelle said rolling her eyes. “Please don’t tell me you’re falling back into old ways.”

“I’m not falling back into anything,” Pam said, licking her thumb where some jelly had dropped. “He’s just helping me with my crib. And, you know what, he’s been rather attentive lately, since he found out about the baby.”

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. “He knows it isn’t his, right?” 

Pam threw her a look. “Of course he knows,” Pam assured her. “But, you know, he’s being nice and helpful despite that.”

“Oh,” Isabelle said. “So, you’re taking advantage.”

“I’m not taking advantage.”

Their conversation was cut short when the door to the kitchen opened. Danny Cordray, coming in from the annex where he had been talking to Toby, quickly walked past them, averting his eyes when he went past Pam. Pam stared down at her sandwiches.

“What was that?” Isabelle asked when Danny was gone.

“That was Danny Cordray, the new hire,” Pam said, taking a big bite of her sandwich. “He’s also the last guy I went out with on a date.”

Oh, my god,” Isabelle said, her eyes wide. “Throw up at the restaurant twice guy?”

Pam nodded. “Yup.” 

“Yeah, how is that not awkward?” Isabelle commented. “He’s cute though.”

Pam shrugged. “Eh. He’s got a huge ego and all he talked about on the date was himself. I was fine that he never called back.”

Isabelle grinned. “No, it wouldn’t be a problem, because you are still hung up on someone else.” Pam stopped chewing, her eyes wide. “Now, how have I been here for ten minutes and not asked this? Which one is Jim?”

Pam shook her head. “Nope,” she said, her mouth full of sandwich. “I’m not telling you, cause I know you’d try to make some sort of scene.”

Isabelle frowned. “I just want to know which one he is.” She leaned over to see past Pam. “Let’s see if I can pick him out…too old…too old…really too old…too big…too dorky looking…ooh, Dwight, but not him…not Michael…not the new guy. Huh, I see two possibilities and I’m guessing he’s the less pretentious looking one with the messy hair. Wow, you hit that, Pam? I’m impressed.”

Pam felt herself flushing. “Okay, so you know now. Let’s leave it be.”

“You still haven’t told him, have you?” Isabelle groaned. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“You are going to be my friend and support my decisions,” Pam pleaded. “You have no idea how hard it is to have to tell him. Just put your self in my shoes for two seconds. I promise, I’m going to tell him, it’s just taking me a little bit to work up the courage.”

“Well, why don’t you wait until the baby can talk, then the baby can tell him,” Isabelle joked. Pam didn’t look amused. “Fine, fine, do it on your own terms. I just can’t believe you work along side the father of your baby and he doesn’t even know.”

At that moment, Pam saw Kelly behind Isabelle and immediately began to shake her head to get Isabelle to stop talking. She did, but not without throwing Pam an odd look. She didn’t know how much Kelly had heard. She hadn’t even heard Kelly come in. 

“Hi, Pam,” Kelly said, walking up beside her to grab an apple. 

“Hi, Kelly,” Pam responded nervously. 

Kelly walked back out without another word. Pam shot Isabelle a glare. “We are done talking about this at work,” she said firmly. 

\--

Kelly had a secret. She was bursting at the seems to tell someone but she really wasn’t supposed to know. She had only heard the last bit of the conversation but she could put two and two together. And she was so excited that she knew. She thought, at first, that she may have to keep it under wraps, at least for a little while, out of respect for Pam. That reasoning lasted a whole hour.

There weren’t many people in the office that day, with most of the sales staff out on sales calls, the accountants all in the conference room for a meeting, and Pam at her doctor’s appointment but enough were there at lunch time that Kelly felt she could make her announcement. When she entered the break room for lunch, Phyllis and Meredith were at one table chatting, Toby and Creed at another, and Karen, alone, picking at her salad while she read a book. 

“I know who the father of Pam’s baby is,” Kelly let out in one, quick breath. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her. 

“How could you possible know that?” Karen asked with a cocked eyebrow. “She’s not telling anyone.”

“I totally heard her talking to her friend about it,” Kelly beamed. “And I know it who it is.” She was practically bouncing up and down, waiting for them to beg to hear who it was.

“I’m not so sure you should be talking about this,” Toby said, he looked as though he were going to be ill. “That’s breeching Pam’s privacy.”

“I have to agree,” Karen said. “I’m sure Pam will tell us when she’s ready.”

“Alright,” Kelly said disappointed. “Well, if you guys don’t want to know…”

“I don’t think it’s so bad to talk about it. It’s not like we haven’t been speculating about it for weeks now,” Phyllis pointed out.

“Yeah, I want to know,” Meredith said. “I’m still not convinced she’s not faking just to get a few months away from this place.”

“Okay, if you really want to know,” Kelly teased. Phyllis and Meredith looked eager to find out, however, Karen rolled her eyes and went back to her book. 

“Go ahead,” Phyllis said with a nod.

“Okay, so I was at my desk and feeling kinda crappy because Ryan decided that he didn’t want to go out on a date this weekend,” Kelly began. “I don’t understand how he can call me his girlfriend and profess to love and yet still keeps making excuses not to be with me. I mean, he missed our anniversary—“

“Get on with it,” Meredith called out.

“Oh, right,” Kelly said. “So, anyway, I’m feeling depressed and going to get food like I do when I’m depressed, only I don’t want to eat junk food because I’m trying to lose weight to fit into this sexy little number I have for Ryan. Anyway, I go to get an apple, and when I get into the kitchen Pam’s there with her friend and they’re totally talking about the father. And I heard Pam’s friend say that the father works at Dunder-Mifflin.”

“Oh my god,” Phyllis exclaimed. “He works here?”

Kelly nodded frantically. “So, at first I think it’s Ryan, because he’s cheated on me before. Twice. But then, I know Pam isn’t interested in Ryan. So, it got me thinking.”

“Michael, right?” Meredith suggested.

“No, Michael’s dating Jan,” Toby reminded them. 

“No, no, think a little younger,” Kelly said, loving the prolonging. 

Karen’s head shot up. “Are you implying…”

“Yup!” Kelly said excitedly. “Danny! It’s Danny Cordray. I totally set them up a few months ago. And we all know that Pam doesn’t date. She went on, what, three dates after Roy? Anyway, so it’s got to be Danny, because we know Pam went out with him and he works here now.”

“She is one lucky girl,” Meredith commented. 

“I don’t know,” Phyllis said. “I mean, it’s possible. But wasn’t that, like, only a couple of months ago? She’s got to be in her fourth or fifth month by now. Are you sure you have your facts straight and that he actually works at this branch? Because I always assumed she hooked up with some one at that convention.”

“Um, what convention?” Karen asked, sounding unusually interested in the conversation. 

“Oh, it was back in September,” Phyllis explained. “She accompanied Michael to some office supply convention. When she got back, she was all happy and glowy for a week. Some of us thought she had hooked up with Michael.”

“Oh,” Karen replied with a frown. 

“Oh, come on,” Kelly scoffed. “Pam is so lame. She would never hook up with some random guy. It’s totally Danny.”

“Well guys,” Creed piped up for the first time. “I guess that solves that mystery. I’m going to agree and say it is Danny. I just have one question. When did we hire a Pam?”

\--

That evening, Karen and Jim were snuggled up together on the couch, watching some TV after they had just had dinner. 

“So, I want to stop by the mall this weekend,” Karen was saying. “We have to pick up a toaster for Phyllis and Bob’s wedding next month.”

“Really?” Jim asked. “We barely know them. Why can’t we just give them a check or something?”

“Wow, that’s not cheap,” Karen teased. “Don’t worry, it’ll be one of those small things that you can get for fifteen bucks. Also, I think it’s time you get a hair cut.” She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to pat down the portions that were sticking out. 

“Now, why do I need a haircut?” Jim asked, swatting her hand away. 

“We have that cocktail party at David Wallace’s,” Karen reminded him. "It’s like a day or so after Phyllis’s wedding. It’s our chance to get on Wallace’s good side and maybe it will be the start of getting a promotion so we can get out of here. Besides, your hair now makes you look homeless.”

“Wow, thank you,” Jim grimaced. 

“No, I don’t mean-“ Karen retracted, letting out a sigh. “I mean, that if we’re really going to start making an effort to get out of here, then you’ve got to look a little more presentable to do it.”

Jim was tired of having this conversation. He knew Karen wanted out of Scranton. He knew how much she’d do to get out. But he still wasn’t so sure. Even after numerous long talks about their future, Jim wasn’t any eager to leave now then he did a month ago, especially with the possibility that he could be the father of Pam’s baby. He was fine taking baby steps towards eventually, possibly getting a new job, but Karen was rushing, as if she had a deadline to meet and he didn’t understand why she didn’t want to enjoy the present more, why she was in such a hurry to get to the future. Usually, the conversation ended up as some sort of fight, and he usually gave in, doing whatever he asked, just to get her off his back for a while. This time, it meant cocktail parties with David Wallace and haircuts. 

Not wanting to continue down that particular road, Jim changed the subject. “So, did you have a good time while I was away having loads of fun with Dwight?”

She let out a little laugh. “It was quiet, which was nice. I actually got everything I wanted to done for a change. Oh, and get this, Kelly thinks she knows who the father of Pam’s baby is.”

Jim immediately tensed. “Really,” he said, trying to remain calm. “And who is the father?”

“Well, according to Kelly, it’s the new guy, Danny Cordray,” Karen explained.

“Oh,” Jim managed to say. He had thought about it for weeks now, even prepared himself mentally for the idea but now that it was possibly someone else, he felt…let down. 

“Why do you sound disappointed?” Karen asked.

He tried to force a smile. “I’m not,” he gave. He was. “So, did Kelly say exactly that Danny was the father or what?” He was hoping that Karen wasn’t noticing that his voice was shaky.

“I don’t know,” Karen replied. “You know how Kelly is, always rambling. She said something about overhearing Pam talk about it with her friend. That the father was someone we worked with. And apparently, Pam went on a few dates with the guy or something, so that’s the only logical conclusion, right?” She looked at him directly.

Jim got the feeling Karen was testing him, probing him for information he wasn’t ready to give yet. “Uh, right,” he said before slipping away from her. “Hey, I’m gonna go get a beer, you want one?”

Karen pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Good,” Jim said, grateful to step away, even for a moment. When he returned, he pretended as though they had never had the conversation.


	14. Chapter 14

“Hey, Jim…”

“Yeah…”

“I think…” pause. “I love you.”

Guilt. Immediate guilt is what he felt. It was some time in the early hours of the morning and Karen was snuggled up against him, her back against his chest, their normal post-coital position. 

I love you

The words echoed in his brain.

He felt guilty because as much as he wanted to, as much as he tried to love her, he didn’t. He cared for her, he truly did and he had enjoyed his time with her. But he didn’t love her, his heart just wouldn’t let him. So, he felt guilty because he would be lying if he said it back and he knew she wanted him to. 

Guilty because as much as he tried to get her out of his head, he couldn’t. 

After a moment of his silence, she turned around, giving him a worried look, searching his face for any type of answer. He felt guilty because even the silence was probably breaking her heart. She had put herself out there in the most courageous of ways so he wouldn’t lie to her. He couldn’t lie to her. Instead, he kissed her, gently, sweetly, doing the best he could to assure her that he cared for her the best way he knew how. 

She seemed to be satisfied for the moment and turned back around, pushing closely next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, attempting to comfort her, though he wasn’t sure if he succeeded. He remained awake long after she fell asleep.

\--

For Pam it was the eggs. No matter how many times she told Dwight not to do it, he still brought those eggs in the morning and every morning she spent time in the bathroom. It was bad enough that Dwight did enough to make her job miserable, like putting meters on the bathroom stalls or putting a locked box around the thermostat so they couldn’t change the temperature in the office. She wished that for once he would consider someone else's feelings (besides Angela or Michael) and stop eating those eggs.

For Jim it was the phone. Jim was used to Andy and his antics. He had suffered at Stamford for a year, listening to Andy ramble on about Cornell and his a capella group. Most of the time, he could just tune Andy out. But ever since they moved to Scranton, Andy had gotten considerably worse. But then, Andy got that phone with the annoying ring tone of himself singing and he wouldn’t stop playing it. Jim was nearly at his last straw, going to crack completely if he heard that ring tone one more time.

One day, in late January, they met in the kitchen. Pam was drinking tea, staring intently out into the office when Jim came in. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Jim asked, as he retrieved some water out of the fridge. “You haven’t been at your desk for a half hour.”

“He needs to stop eating those eggs,” Pam said, watching as Dwight started peeling another one. “I can’t go back out there until he stops.”

Jim smiled. “Really that bad, huh?”

Pam nodded. “I’m so tired of throwing up in the mornings,” Pam complained. “And for some reason those eggs are the only things that really cause me to get ill anymore.”

Before Jim could give any sort of condolence, Andy walked through, sounding off his ring tone again, singing along with it. Jim cringed. Rockin’ Robin was now like nails on a chalkboard. 

“That bad, huh?” Pam asked with a smile.

“It’s just that he insists on playing it every day,” Jim said as soon as Andy had left. 

“I wish there was a way to make them stop,” Pam said with a sigh.

“Or find a way to get them fired without getting fired ourselves,” Jim added.

Pam looked up at him with a devilish grin. “Or drive them as crazy as they drive us.”

“Beesly, are you suggesting something mischievous?” Jim asked.

Pam shrugged. “I’m only saying that maybe they deserve a taste of their own medicine.”

“A prank?” Jim asked, loving that she was already a step ahead of him.

“A big one,” she responded, her eyes wide with excitement.

“We’ll have to join forces.”

“We’ll form an alliance,” Pam said with a giggle.

“The United Forces against Dwight and Andy?” Jim suggested.

“The Anti-Dwandy Coalition,” Pam corrected barely containing her laughter. 

Jim laughed. “Nice, Beesly, nice. Meet me in the break room in fifteen minutes?”

“We’re so horrible,” Pam said with a smirk.

They spent over an hour coming up with ideas. (Remarkably, the only person to notice them missing for that long of time was Karen.) Most of the ideas were mere jokes and would have resulted in them getting arrested or worse. But there were a few that stuck out and then, Jim came up with an idea that was gold. It was questionable, depending solely on Dwight’s gullibility, but it if worked: it would be brilliant. 

The first thing they had to do was send Dwight faxes, from himself, from the future. Jim wasn’t confident that it would work but it was something he always wanted to try. And sure enough, the first time they attempted it, Pam handing Dwight the mock fax, complete with Dwight’s own letterhead that had been stolen by Jim, Dwight ate it up. The fax warned about the coffee and sure enough, Dwight made sure no one in the office had coffee that day. They continued the faxes for a week and each time, Dwight paid careful attention to what future Dwight told him. 

The second part of the plan was prank calling Andy. Every few hours or so, Pam, using her cell because Andy didn’t know the number, would call Andy, wait a good thirty seconds and hang up. At first, Andy seemed to love the attention and thought that some on had a secret crush on him. By day four, though, he was so annoyed that he stopped answering his phone all together or, occasionally, answer and yell into the phone for the person to stop. So, the part b was in full swing. 

The last part was combining the two pranks, the idea being to turn Dwight and Andy on each other. 

The morning for the big finale, Jim and Pam met early at the office, each one giddy to attempt their plan. Pam would make one final fax, having future Dwight tell Dwight that Andy’s phone calls are from a secret anti-government agency, letting Andy know how to take down the USA and it’s up to Dwight to intercept the calls. Meanwhile, Jim would find Andy’s phone and hide it. They figured Dwight and Andy would do the rest themselves. 

And, oh, what a show it was. 

The cell phone was hidden in the ceiling. When Pam called it, Andy became flustered because he couldn’t find his phone. Dwight watched him like a hawk. Jim called it next and Andy became even more upset. Dwight stopped everything he was doing to watch. The third time, Pam calling this round, Andy accused someone of stealing his phone and yelled that it was important that he get it back. Dwight, upon hearing this, declared Andy a traitor to his country and began to search the office.

Disrupting everyone in the office, Dwight managed to find the phone in the ceiling but instead of giving it back to Andy, answered it. Upon not getting a reply, he swiftly dropped the phone to the ground and stomped on it, breaking it. Andy, in turn, grew upset, yelling at Dwight to stop as Dwight took pleasure in destroying the cell. 

The two men began to circle each other, each yelling and screaming various insults, Dwight continuing to accuse Andy of being a traitor, Andy telling Dwight that he was a psychopath. At first, nothing violent happened but then, when Dwight didn't stop taunting Andy, Andy took an angered swing at him. Dwight ducked and Andy punched a hole into the wall. That should have been the end of it but Dwight, feeling attacked, rolled to his desk, reached under it and pulled out a knife. The entire room gasped, while Andy screamed with pain and frustration over his hand.

At this point, Jim, who along with Pam had been enjoying the show, stepped in. With the help of Michael, they calmed the two men down. Andy was sent home and eventually was sent to anger management. Dwight had all of his office weapons confiscated and was suspended from work for three days. The whole office was shaken up for the rest of the afternoon.

That evening, when everyone was leaving for work, Jim and Pam stopped to inspect the hole that Andy had made in the wall. 

Jim couldn’t stop grinning. “That was…”

“Amazing,” Pam finished for him, acting as giddy as he was. 

“I was going to say insane but amazing works,” Jim said. They both began to giggle, then full on laugh as the fact that they had pulled it off settled in. Pam rested one hand on Jim for balance, she was laughing so hard. Then, she looked up at him and the atmosphere changed. The humor left as the gazed at each other. They were the only two people in the world. Two people who cared for each other, enjoyed each other’s company, and made each other laugh. Two people that had a bond stronger than either realized. And for a moment, only a moment, they were the two strangers who had met in that hotel almost six months earlier. No baggage between them, no inhibitions holding them back. Had that moment lasted a second longer, they may have truly understood. 

But then Karen was there, disrupting their moment, bringing them back to the reality of their situation just by letting Jim know it was time to go. The awkward tension resumed and reluctantly, they said goodbye to each other.

\--

“It wasn’t funny, it was stupid and juvenile,” Karen scolded. They were at Jim’s apartment, standing in the kitchen, just having gotten in from work. 

Jim rolled his eyes as he hung up his coat. “It was just a prank. Unfortunately, no one was fired.”

Karen gave him an annoyed look as she slipped off her shoes. “Yeah, but someone could have gotten hurt. Did you see the way Dwight pulled out that knife? And now Andy’s in an anger management program.”

“Yeah, okay, we got a little carried away. But no Dwight for three days? Worth it. And Andy should have gone to anger management a long time ago,” Jim defended. “You’re just mad because you weren’t in on it.”

Karen glared at him. “You didn’t tell me about it because if you had, I would have told you that you were being stupid.”

Karen had a point, he did deliberately not tell her about the prank. “Well, what happened, happened,” he gave. “Would you like me to rewind time and stop my self?”

“Let’s just make dinner,” she said gruffly. 

“I don’t feel like cooking, let’s just have pizza,” he responded, not liking that Karen had dampened his good spirits. 

“Fine,” Karen said sharply. “I’m going to grab some of your socks, it’s freaking cold in here.”

“Fine,” Jim replied, his voice just as harsh.

Karen returned shortly after Jim had called the pizza place. She had a puzzled look on her face and she definitely wasn’t holding socks. “Why do you have one of Pam’s drawings in your sock drawer?”

Jim snatched it from her. “Why are you searching at the bottom of my sock drawer?” 

“Because you don’t fold your socks,” Karen returned with a frown. “Seriously, Jim, why?”

“It was a Christmas present,” Jim explained, knowing they were teetering close to a conversation that he really didn’t want to have. “And I wanted to keep it somewhere safe, where it wouldn’t get ruined.”

“Why not frame it?” Karen asked, bitterness in her voice. “That will keep it nice and preserved. Or did you not want me to know you had it?”

“Karen…” Jim rubbed his forehead. “It’s just a drawing.”

"Well, if it's just a drawing, why don't we just throw it away," Karen said making a grab for it.

"No!" Jim pulled it out of reach, his reaction giving Karen just what she wanted to know. 

Karen, staring daggers at him, spoke slowly and deliberately. “Fine then. Jim, I’ve been kind of avoiding this but I think it’s time we should just get it out in the open. What actually happened between you and Pam at that convention?”

Despite the fact that he knew what was coming, her bluntness took him by surprise. “Nothing,” he said immediately. “I told you, we hung out some and that was it.”

Karen shook her head. “Oh. Interesting. Well, Phyllis said something odd the other day. She said that when Pam returned from the convention, she was all happy and giddy for some reason. Phyllis was under the impression that she had hooked up with someone.”

“She really said that?” Jim replied. As much as he was incredibly happy to hear that, he knew that if he showed it on his face, Karen would rip him to shreds.

Karen continued. “You know, combining that statement with the reaction you had just now and include your moderate interest in the father of her child, I’m guessing that nothing is not an accurate answer, Jim.”

Jim let out a heavy sigh, there was no getting out of this now. “Do you really want to know about this?”

“Yeah, I think I deserve the truth, Jim,” Karen replied, though she looked almost scared to hear the answer. 

“Fine,” Jim said quietly, trying to figure out the best way to put it because no matter what he said, the truth was not going to go over well. “That day was the first time I met her and, yeah, we had a nice time. And then that evening…” he paused, not liking the way Karen’s face was falling. “We slept together. But, you know, nothing happened after that night, she never called, and I didn’t see her again until the branches merged. And that’s it. And then you and I began dating and here we are.”

He couldn’t look directly at Karen’s pained face. “Are you the father of the baby?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Jim replied. “If I am, she hasn’t told me.”

“Okay, I’m going to ask to ask you something and all I want is the truth,” Karen’s voice wavered as she spoke. Jim knew she was close to tears. “Do you have any feelings for her?”

“Karen…”

“I watched the two of you today,” Karen continued. “The truth, Jim.”

Jim stared down at Pam’s drawing, a smile begging to be formed on his lips. “Yeah…”


	15. Chapter 15

“You’re moping.”

“I’m not moping.”

“You are, too.”

“I am not.”

Pam was at Isabelle’s place watching a movie but as much as she tried to concentrate, her mind kept wandering. 

“Well, you’re not being much fun tonight,” Isabelle teased.

Pam gave her a glare. “Oh, I wonder why not. Let’s see, I’m pregnant. My back hurts, my feet hurt, nearly every part of me hurts…because I’m pregnant. I can’t fit into my clothes, including the ones I just bought last month…because I’m pregnant. I’m always hungry and yet never want to eat because I’m pregnant. My coworkers are gossiping about me all the time and my boss is a jerk, which doesn’t directly relate but the pregnancy doesn’t help his antics. And the guy who impregnated me decided to stop talking to me. So, yeah, maybe you can give me a little bit of a break.”

“Oh, Pam,” Isabelle smiled at her and gave her a small hug. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

“You can speed up these next three months,” Pam suggested.

“So, Jim’s not talking to you anymore?” Isabelle said clicking off the TV. The movie wasn’t going to be watched that night. “I thought you guys were friends or…something.”

“I thought we were, too,” Pam told her. “But then, like, three weeks ago, for whatever reason, he just stopped coming up to my desk. I don’t know.”

Isabelle turned on the couch to face her. “I know you haven’t told him about the baby. Okay. But does he even know you like him?”

Pam stretched out her legs to rest on the coffee table. “Well, you know, I slept with him, I’m sure that counts for something.”

“Yeah, six months ago,” Isabelle argued. “Have you shown any interest lately?”

Pam shrugged. “I don’t know, yeah, we joke around all the time, or we used to.”

Isabelle shook her head. “No, have you shown any sexual interest lately?”

Pam blushed slightly. “I guess not. But we’re at work and…his girlfriend is there.”

“So,” Isabelle said as if it weren't a big deal. “Girlfriend is not wife. He’s still fair game. Let him know you’re interested. Guys don’t need a lot to figure it out but you’ve got to give him something. Granted, you wear your heart on your sleeve, so how he misses that is beyond me. Be subtle so girlfriend doesn’t notice. Flirt a little.”

“I don’t now how to flirt,” Pam said a little exasperated at the suggestion. “No, I’m not going to—no.” 

“You can try it out on me first,” Isabelle suggested.

Pam gave her a skeptical look. “I am not going to flirt with you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Isabelle insisted. “Pretend I’m Jim. Okay, go for it.”

Pam opened her mouth to speak but then flushed again. “No, I can’t do this.”

“Come on,” Isabelle said. “Just try it, I promise I won’t laugh too hard.”

“Thanks I feel really confident now,” Pam said. She then took a breath and tried, giving Isabelle a phony grin and a wink. “Hi, How you doin’?”

Isabelle’s jaw dropped slightly. “Okay, you obviously can’t pull off the Joey Tribbiani from Friends. Try again.”

Pam took a deep breath and tried again, trying to relax herself. When she started speaking, she attempted to be seductive but it came out awkward. “Hey, there Jim, that’s a sexy tie you’ve got on today. Mind if I help you take it off.”

Isabelle covered her mouth to suppress her giggles. “Now you sound like a drunken sixteen-year-old trying to hit on her professor.”

Pam threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, I’m done, I am not doing this anymore.”

“No, no,” Isabelle said through her laughter. “I’m sorry. You’re right you really aren’t good at this. How did you get him to sleep with you in the first place?”

“I don’t know,” Pam let out. “I was just being myself. If I knew what I had done I probably wouldn’t be here trying to get flirting advice from you.”

“Oh, my god,” Isabelle said as if a realization had hit her. “He liked your for your dorky little self, didn’t he? That’s amazing. My advice is marry this one, Pam.”

Pam shot her a frustrated look. “Okay, great advice, Is, but that doesn’t really help with my situation now, does it?”

Isabelle let out a heavy breath. “Okay, look, Pam, here’s the thing. You are your own worst enemy, you know that right? You’re so hung up on this baby thing and the girlfriend thing and all of these what ifs that it’s preventing that dorky girl he met in the hotel to come out. God, Pam, I feel like I’m a broken record here. But until you put yourself out there, until you at least try, all you’re doing is preventing yourself from living.”

Pam picked at the throw pillow. “Yeah, you’re right,” she gave in. “It’s probably time I stop feeling sorry for myself, huh.”

Isabelle shook her head. “Yup,” she agreed. “Go out there and get what’s yours, Pam. I know you can.”

\--

Jim hated February. He hated that time of year when winter seemed prolonged, the cold, dark days never seeming to end. Time became blurred together. He felt almost like a zombie of his former self. 

He walked into the office that day the same as he had for the past couple of weeks, tired, emotionally worn out. He was sure it was beginning to show on his face. He hung up his jacket and tried to walk past reception with out looking at her. He couldn’t do it.

“Hey,” she said, an almost hopeful look in her eye. No. That’s what he wanted to see. He needed to stop thinking like that. He didn’t respond. “I like your haircut,” she gave in that sweet voice of hers. 

“Thanks,” he said, giving her a forced half smile. He hated the haircut Karen had made him get. Phyllis’ wedding was that weekend, David Wallace’s cocktail party was next week and Karen was insistent that he looked presentable for both. He wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to her but he went along with it anyway because those days, he pretty much gave in to everything. 

He sat down at his desk, turning on his computer, ready to do the humdrum job he always did. Karen, from across the room, gave him a wave and a smile. He half-heartedly returned. He didn’t have much energy left in him. 

He thought the talks they had over Christmas had been bad enough. But the last three weeks, consisting of long, long talks about their relationship, their feelings, Pam, all of it, was wearing him down. 

One conclusion that came out of all those talks was that he definitely needed to move forward with his life. It was no use staying in the ‘maybe she likes me’ limbo where he had been. Karen, who went on endlessly on the subject, had a point; Pam had made no effort in the past six months to show any sign that she was interested. Sure, they had their fun times, but did she want anything more? He could never tell. He couldn’t continue to hang on to every little word she said, wait for any little sign that what they shared wasn’t just a one-night stand. As Karen pointed out over and over, it was pathetic that he clung on to something that happened one night six months ago. He felt bad that he was ignoring Pam. He didn’t want to but if he was ever going to try to get over her, he had to cut himself off. Weirdly, though, in doing that, he didn’t feel whole anymore. 

And then there was the baby. Karen was convinced it was his, despite all the rumors of it being Danny Cordray’s. He secretly suspected it was as well but if Pam wasn’t going to tell him, he wasn’t going to make the effort to ask.

About an hour after work started, without a word, Karen came up to him and gave him a big hug. He tensed, noticing how everyone looked and he wondered if Pam was watching them. He wished Karen would stop doing things like that. Making a show of their relationship. It made her clingy. Territorial. She might as well pee around his desk. 

God, did I just think that? he wondered, when did I turn into such an ass?

He did care for Karen, he reminded himself. He yawned and attempted to focus back on work, though he was having a hard time with it. He was too tired.

He thought about the previous night. Karen wanted to talk again. After three weeks of reassurance, she was still insecure. He wondered how one person could be that insecure. He had used sex as avoidance again. He wondered if Karen was mistaking it for affection and the guilt began to rise again. He was beginning to get in the habit of making love to her just to stop her from talking. Making love was the wrong term. Screwing. Fucking. Those were better words. Screwing her. Screwing with her. Screwing around with her. They all sounded the same. He let out a laugh and rubbed his eyes. God, he was tired. 

Michael approached his desk, pulling him from his thoughts. “Jim, I have a mission for you if you choose to accept.”

Jim didn’t look up from his computer. “Go for it.” 

“We’re going to get a stripper for Bob Vance’s bachelor party in the warehouse today,” Michael informed him.

“Yikes.”

“So, to be fair, we need a stripper for the girls, too,” Michael said, grinning as he placed a piece of paper on Jim’s desk. “I need you to get one for me, thank you.”

Jim glanced at the paper, which read Banana Slings followed by a phone number. 

Oh, god…

He hated February.

\--

Pam was in the kitchen getting more plates and napkins for the bachelorette party when Karen approached her. “Could this day be any crazier?” Karen asked reaching to grab more cups from the cupboard.

“I know, right?” Pam said. Karen had barely spoken to her since Christmas. It was weird that she was being so friendly at the moment. 

“That Ben Franklin guy is such a tool,” Karen said. 

“Yeah, really,” Pam agreed. “I think he tried to hit on me. Uh, duh, I’m pregnant.”

Both their laughter was forced. It died down into an uncomfortable silence. 

“Um, Pam,” Karen started, staring at the cups in her hand. “I know this is a little weird to ask and I understand it’s completely a personal thing but if you don’t mind, I was kinda wondering who the father of your baby was.”

“What?” Pam said surprised by the question. For a long time, her coworkers continued to ask her that question but they hadn’t for a while. “Oh, it’s not—“ she began, then became flustered and stopped. “You know, he’s— he’s—“ She let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not something I really like talking about.”

“Oh,” Karen said with a frown. “I just thought that, um—okay, here’s the thing. Jim told me what happened between the two of you.”

“He did?” Pam asked, suddenly feeling very nervous. There was something about Karen that made her uneasy. “What did he say?”

“He told me about your night together, that you slept together,” Karen looked as though she were having a hard time saying the words. “And, you know, I did the math and I thought maybe—“ her voice trailed off.

“Oh, yeah,” Pam said automatically. 

“Yeah?” Karen repeated. “As in Jim is the father?”

“No!” Pam corrected quickly. “No, no, no. I just meant, I, uh, I could see why you thought that. Yeah.”

“Right,” Karen pursed her lips together. “So, uh, Jim and I talked everything over and we’re both totally cool with what happened. I mean, it was one night and I get that things like that happened but we’ve all moved on, so I hope that there doesn’t have to be any awkwardness between the three of us.”

Pam’s heart dropped upon hearing Karen’s words. “Um, yeah, sure, it wasn’t…really…anything,” her voice became barely a whisper. 

“So, we’re okay and everything?” Karen asked trying to meet Pam’s eye line. 

Pam wouldn’t look at her. “Uh, yeah, fine,” she responded. “Totally cool. Um, yeah, we should probably get back out there,” Pam said, wanting any excuse to leave the conversation. Without another word, Pam scurried out of the kitchen, leaving Karen to be confused over what just happened.

\--

Around mid-afternoon, Pam entered the break room to find Jim at the vending machine, staring at his choices. She became a little nervous as she approached him. 

“Hey,” she said using her friendliest tone. 

“Hi,” he returned, his voice flat. His barely held any expression and she couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the lively guy she had first met. 

“Getting a little afternoon snack?” she asked, pointing at the vending machine.

“Yup,” he responded.

Her heart was racing. Obviously, he wasn’t making any effort to continue any sort of conversation so she pushed on. “You look a little tired, are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Just—long nights,” he gave a shrug. 

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” she said. “I can’t seem to get any sleep either. The pregnancy. I mean, I can’t sleep in any position but on my back, so my back is sore and then I’m up half the night. But I’ve found this great tea that relaxes me and a friend gave me this great cream that I can put on so that my eyes don’t seem so baggy—“ she trailed off, realizing that she was rambling on about tea and eye cream. 

“Sounds good,” he said, finally picking his selection of chip and reaching down to retrieve it. He began to head out.

“So, you know this has been kind of a crazy day, right?” Pam said.

He stopped. “Yeah, weird day.”

“Yeah, all this stuff for Phyllis’ wedding. Man, I can’t believe she’s getting married,” Pam continued in hopes that he would respond to something she said. “And that Ben Franklin guy is a total weirdo.”

“Really,” he replied. She thought she saw a flicker of a grin. “And here I thought I picked a good one.”

“Oh, total weirdo. I think he was, like, trying to flirt with me or something. Yeah, I mean who hits on a pregnant woman?” she joked, realizing too late how that sounded.

“Yeah, who does that?” Jim said, his face falling, his voice barely audible.

Just then she felt the baby kick. Great, she thought, even the baby could tell I’m being pathetic. The baby kicked again, hard, so she placed one hand on her stomach and one hand on the vending machine for support. 

“Everything okay?” Jim asked, showing genuine concern.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “It’s just kicking.” 

“You can feel it move?” he asked. 

“Uh-huh,” she smiled. “I’ve been able to for a while, just today it’s being extra active. Would you like to feel it?”

He looked at her unsure. “Okay—“ She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. “I don’t really—oh—wow. That’s kind of amazing.”

“I know, right?” she asked as they both felt the baby move around inside her. 

Jim’s hand dropped, his face falling as well. “He’s a lucky guy, Danny.”

“Um, what?” Pam asked, confused.

“Danny Cordray,” Jim repeated. “He’s the father, right? Kelly’s been telling everyone that for a month.”

Pam’s jaw dropped slightly. “No,” she shook her head.

“No?”

She looked up at him, taking a deep breath before she spoke. “Danny Cordray is definitely not the father, Jim…you are.”


	16. Chapter 16

…Thursday…

“…Danny Cordray is not the father, Jim…you are.”

The words echoed in his brain. A million thoughts swirled in his brain. 

You’re the father, you’re the father, you’re the father…  
You’re going to have a baby, you’re going to have a baby…  
Pam was going to have your baby…Pam…  
Her baby was your baby…  
You’re going to be a father…

He was stunned, literally stunned. He was feeling so many things, so many conflicting things; shock, surprise, joy, frustration, relief, anxiety, excitement, fear, anger, hope. It was all overwhelming. He didn’t know how to respond or react or even what to say. 

“I…uh…” he started but words wouldn’t form. She was waiting eagerly for his response. He gapped for a moment trying hard to concentrate on one thought. Finally, one settled in his brain, the only thought that stood out clear to him, that this wasn’t new information. He had always suspected, the facts had pointed in his direction, he had just been ignoring what the pieces looked like when all put together. “I know,” he finally managed to say. 

What ever she had expected him to say, that was not it. It definitely was not the most sensitive thing he could have said. Doubt and worry crossed her face. “Oh,” she said softly. She took a deep breath, as if she were going to speak again but settled back into silence. 

“Pam…” he started again but wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence. 

He didn’t get a chance because they were interrupted by Dwight interrogating the Ben Franklin impersonator on life during the eighteenth century. 

“I guess we will finish this later,” Pam said, a slight bit of sadness in her voice. She didn’t look at him as she walked out. 

\--

…Friday…

Between Michael’s shenanigans and a clingy Karen, he hadn’t had a chance to speak with Pam the rest of the day on Thursday. He thought she would seek him out but she didn’t. In fact, he got the impression she was avoiding him. Maybe she was worried about what he was going to say. Truth was, he still didn’t know what he wanted to say. There was still so much going on in his head, so much to process. He was still trying to grasp onto the reality of it all.

On their way home last night, Jim told Karen that he wanted to be alone that evening. Karen, always tuned in to whatever was going on with him, was highly suspicious but thankfully hadn’t questioned him on it. He stayed awake most of the night just thinking. 

The next morning, using the excuse that he needed her help to find something, he pulled her into the stock room so they would have a moment alone.

A heavy silence lay between them. 

Jim broke it. “You’re having my baby,” he said. It was a statement not a question.

“Yes,” she said without hesitance. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. That was the biggest thing he didn’t understand, why she had felt that she had to keep it from him for so long.

She looked down at the floor and tucked some hair behind her ear in the way he noticed she always did when she was nervous. “I thought you already knew?” her voice was quiet but held a hint of sarcasm.

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I meant I had always suspected, I—“ his voice trailed off.

“You could have always asked,” Pam said. “You never asked me. And then Karen did and that was one of the more uncomfortable things I had to endure.”

“Karen did what?” he asked, surprised and yet not at Karen’s actions. He felt a little bit of anger rise in him.

“You didn’t know?” Pam asked, she seemed almost brighter.

He shook his head. “I would never ask Karen to do that,” he assured her. “But Pam, you’ve known about this for so long, why? Why did you feel the need to wait so long? I could have— I---“ 

“Why do you automatically assume that it was an easy thing to do? An easy thing to say?” When she spoke, her voice was slow, deliberate. “I barely knew you at that convention. And suddenly, my life is completely changed. Everything you’re feeling right now, I was feeling months ago, still am feeling but the difference is that you aren’t the one carrying the baby. You can just walk away if you like. How I was supposed to know how you’d react? We barely knew each other. I’m beginning to think I barely know you now. But the point is, my life permanently changed in a second. I didn’t think that yours had to be.”

“You never called me,” he shot out. His frustration was boiling over though he didn’t mean to specifically take it out on her. “You could have called me.”

“And you never called me,” she argued back. “It works both ways, Jim. Don’t put all the blame on me. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again and then, when I finally do see you again, you come with a girlfriend in tow. So, please, Jim, forgive me for not getting right on that.”

“Pam, I’m sorry—I’m—“ he was again at a loss of words, the overwhelming amount of emotions and thoughts still clouding up his head. “I don’t even now where I’m at right now. I’m still just trying to process— trying to—“

She cut him off. “I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I’ve had a long time to think about it and I am so happy to be having this baby.” She placed her hands lovingly on her stomach. “But I’ve made peace with the fact that I might have to do this alone. You’re welcome to be involved if you want to be but please don’t feel as though you’re obligated.”

Before he could have a chance to respond, she left the stock room, leaving him alone with his many, many thoughts.

\--

…Saturday…

She hadn’t wanted to go to the wedding. On the drive over, she spent a good deal of time thinking that she should just turn the car home and spend the whole day in bed. She didn’t feel very well. Watching some one else get married didn’t seem appealing to her either. Still, out of obligation to Phyllis, she showed up with the rest of her coworkers. 

When she arrived, she noticed something startling. Phyllis had taken nearly every last detail from her own cancelled wedding and used it. She even wore the same dress. The whole thing made her depressed. She thought to a year ago, when she was somewhat happy, preparing her wedding to Roy, looking forward to a decent future. In the end, she was glad that she didn’t go through with the wedding but at least Roy was someone to have. She never thought she’d be sitting there, a year later, having to watch a wedding she had called off, while feeling very much pregnant and very much alone. It was surreal. 

The ceremony was hard to get through, with Michael making a spectacle of himself. The reception wasn’t turning out any better, with Meredith becoming obscene the more she got drunk, Kelly consistently reminding her how much the wedding resembled her own and commenting on how depressed she must feel, and Dwight just being a general nuisance. Not to mention that Kevin’s band could play covers from only one band and not very well at that.

But the worst part was watching Jim with Karen. She couldn’t help but watch him all evening, he was all she could think about. The only satisfaction she got was the fact that he didn’t seem any happier than she was. 

She wasn’t sure how she had expected him to react after she told him. She never really thought her fantasy of him immediately being happy and deciding to ditch Karen to be with her would really come true but she thought he’d take it a little better than he had. She had hoped he would have said something, not just stare at her blankly like he had. Not just tell her he already knew, which frustrated her to no end. If had known, he should have said something. Though, she had waited a long time to say anything herself, so she was not one to talk. 

She watched as he danced with Karen and suddenly she wished she was the one dancing with him. She missed the way it felt when he held her, how warm she felt, how safe and cared for. She wished she could get that comforting feeling again. For a second their eyes met, and she realized she must have been staring. Feeling embarrassed, she turned away, finally getting up to leave, not wanting to torture herself any longer. 

She went to the buffet line to grab some punch even though she wasn’t thirsty. Roy was there and he smiled when he saw her. 

“Hey,” he said, coming to her.

“Hi, Roy,” she returned. 

“So,” he said looking around. “This wedding is pretty great, isn’t it? Kinda reminds me of our senior prom.”

Pam smiled at the irony. “Yeah, I can see that,” she said. She couldn’t keep the sadness out of her voice and even Roy picked up on it.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, placing a comforting hand on her arm. “Is it baby stuff or something?”

She shook her head, though she couldn’t believe how grateful she felt at Roy’s concern. “I don’t know, I’m just—“ her voice trailed off. “I don’t know.”

He then gave her a hug. She liked that Roy felt familiar to her; it was nice. “Hey, you want to dance or something?” he asked. “I’m sure if I pay them enough, they’ll play our song.”

She let out a tiny laugh. “No, thank you, I’m good. I think I just want to go home.”

“Would you like any company tonight?” he offered.

She thought it over for a minute, then nodded her head, not wanting to feel so lonely anymore. “Yeah…”

\--

He couldn’t stop watching her. Despite the fact that Karen was right next to him and had been all through the ceremony and most of the reception, Jim’s eyes kept following Pam, taking in her beauty; her hair, lovely and loose around her shoulders, her maroon dress accentuating the pregnancy. She was breathtaking. She was also sad. He didn’t think he had seen her smile once during the whole wedding. 

During the reception, Karen had asked him to dance. If she had noticed that he was acting differently the past few days, she didn’t mention it. He was grateful for that. He was a little irritated that she had cornered Pam but he understood what had pressed her to do it. She was just a person clinging on to someone she loved. He got that, maybe more so than she realized. 

He and Karen swayed to the slow beat of the music. In the distance, he saw Pam, sitting alone at an empty table. For a split second, their eyes met and Jim wondered if she had been keeping an eye on him that evening as well. But she then quickly turned away, got up, and left the table. He frowned, feeling bad that he had not been more understanding, more caring in his reaction to the pregnancy. But it was overwhelming, still was. Pam had made one good point, though, during their conversation in the stock room; he was as much to blame for their miscommunication as he was and that fact ate at him.

Karen clung to him a little tighter and he closed his eyes, for a second, imagining it was Pam he was dancing with. Quickly falling back into the fantasies that he had cut himself off from, he began to imagine what it would be like if he were with Pam, cuddling together on a lazy Sunday morning just after they had made love. He never did have a chance to hold her the morning after their night together, which he regretted but he had held her most of the night and he could still remember the sweet scent of her hair, the soft touch of her skin. He couldn’t help but wish that it was Pam snuggled close to him just then and not Karen. Then the fantasy changed, and he heard a baby laughing in the distance. His baby. Pam’s baby. Their baby. And they would take a walk in the park, pushing the stroller while walking hand in hand while talking about life, the future, everything. It was perfect. 

He wanted her. He wanted to be with her not just then but always. The thought was always close in his mind but he never let himself fully feel it until just then. He didn’t have the schoolyard crush that Karen thought he had. He was in love with her. Very much in love with her. 

Suddenly, feeling the urge to tell her this, he broke away from Karen, telling her he needed to go do something. Karen gave him a worried look, rightfully so, and he knew he would have to face that eventually but right then, he had to find Pam. 

He began searching for her, frantically, desperate to get to her. He couldn’t find her anywhere and a fear rose in him that she had already left. But then he caught a glimpse of her in the coatroom, putting on her pink jacket. He took a deep breath ready to talk with her but then Roy moved into his line of sight. He watched anxiously as he chatted with her, a knife twisting in his heart when she laughed. When Roy kissed her softly on the cheek and she didn’t pull away, he felt nauseous. Then, Roy held out his hand and Pam clasped it before they headed out together. Jim was crushed. It was one thing if she wasn’t interested in something more but to watch her be with her ex-fiancé—the one whom she had never said anything good about—just devastated him. 

He remained standing there for some time, just stunned, chiding himself for getting too caught up in hypotheticals, fantasies, and what-ifs. Reality came crashing down around him, as he realized that he and Pam weren’t the big, sweeping love story he had created in his head. They were just two people who happen to be having a baby. 

He slowly made his way back to Karen, who when he found her, was on stage singing a lively song with the band. She looked cute up there, relaxed and enjoying herself, and he began to remember why he liked her in the first place. Suddenly, he was very glad he had her.


	17. Chapter 17

…Sunday…

If it was daylight out, she couldn’t tell. The shades were drawn, making the living room dark. Even if it was the middle of the day, the darkness of the room made if feel like night. She was lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling, still in the dress she had been wearing for Phyllis’ wedding, wondering why one wouldn't give up the queen size bed for the pregnant woman. To be fair, she had fallen asleep on the couch after she and Roy returned to his place. They talked only for five minutes or so before Roy had turned on the TV, eager to watch some sports highlights. She had laid down next to him and promptly fallen asleep. At least he had given her a blanket.

Unfortunately, sometime in the middle of the early morning, she had awoken again and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get comfortable enough to fall asleep. She contemplated just joining Roy in the bed but she worried that that might seem as if her stay was something more than it was. Instead, she continued to stare at the ceiling, thinking.

Roy wanted to get back together again, she was very aware of that. But she left him for a reason, many reasons, but biggest reason was that she didn’t love him any longer. Somewhere in their ten years together, the young girl that became enamored with the high school quarterback grew up and when it came down to the line, the day of her wedding, she knew she wanted more from life than Roy Anderson. She had to give Roy credit, though, for trying. Despite knowing that he wasn’t the father, he had been incredibly attentive to her since he had found out about the pregnancy. She wondered, just for a moment, if people could change. 

She shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. No, she thought. Being there that night made her realize that while Roy was trying to be a good guy, nothing really ever changes. Roy was still Roy even at his best. The only benefit being that when she’s with Roy, at least she’s not by herself. 

She closed her eyes in an attempt to sleep again. And for a moment, she wondered where Jim was and if he was thinking about her and the baby or if he was happy in his life without them.

\--

…Monday…

“Would you mind faxing these for me?” It was the first time he had spoken to her that day. Jim placed the documents on her desk. It wasn’t like he had a good chance to talk to her. Roy was up from the warehouse nearly every hour for no good reason other than to be flirty with Pam. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened over the weekend but he couldn’t help but be annoyed with her decision to make some sort of reconnection with her ex-fiancé. He contemplated getting Michael to fire the guy just because he could. 

“Sure,” Pam said taking them. There was no reaction in her reply. An onlooker would only see two coworkers making an exchange and nothing more. 

“Thank you.”

Jim returned to his desk, Karen giving him a glance as he did so. He was beginning to get used to her watching him like a hawk. She smiled slightly and he returned before sitting down. He had spent the rest of his weekend with Karen, pretty much giving into her every whim, which included putting his resume together. He was fairly sure, now that he was going to have a baby, that he wouldn’t leave Scranton but the idea of getting a new job was starting to sound like a good idea. Besides, Karen’s drive at least kept him occupied enough so his mind wouldn’t be consistently on Pam or the baby. 

He didn’t talk to Pam the rest of the day, instead focused on his work and tried hard not to listen to the occasional giggling that came from reception. 

\--

…Tuesday…

It was almost six and Pam stood beside the wall full of her drawings hoping that she would see someone she knew. She had been so excited about the art show that it was the first thing that had made her happy days. She knew most of the people in her personal life wouldn’t show up, Isabelle had late appointments, Penny had class, and her parents lived too far away but she hoped that more people from work would show up. She had even made little flyers and posted them all around the office. So far, in the three hours she had been there, she had two visitors.

“It’s motel art,” she heard Gil, Oscar’s partner, say. She was standing behind them, out of sight, and was stunned to hear him be so blunt. Even those who were just enjoying the art and didn’t know who she was had nice things to say. “Real art takes courage," Gil had continued.

His words had stung her. As much fun as she had creating her pieces, when she looked around the room and saw all the talented students that made up her class, she felt inadequate. As Gil’s words echoed in her brain, she thought back to the many, many times Isabelle had reminded her to go out and try, do, be. And, yet, here she was, still the same as ever, creating ‘motel art’. 

Feeling slightly depressed, she began to pick one of the bottom pieces. The art show went on for another three hours but she wanted to pack up and go home. 

“Hey,” she couldn’t believe it when she heard his voice. She never would have thought that Jim would show up, especially since they had barely spoken to each other since that conversation in the stock room. He approached hesitantly, looking as though he wasn't sure if he had made the right decision or not by coming. She didn’t care, she smiled brightly at him. 

“Hi,” she said, the grin growing broader as he approached. He probably didn’t know how happy she was to see him. “I didn’t think you were going to show up.”

“I didn’t think I was going to either,” he admitted. 

An awkward moment passed between them. “Is Karen with you?” she asked, hoping that his girlfriend wouldn’t pop out at any second. 

He shook his head. “Sorry, I’m late,” he said avoiding talk of Karen. “I had to wait with Dwight for animal control.”

“So, he caught the bat?”

“Yeah, trapped it over Meredith’s head,” Jim explained, a slight smile on his face. “She claims she was bitten, let’s hope she doesn’t get rabies or something.”

“Maybe she’ll turn into a vampire,” she joked. Why was it so easy to banter and yet so hard when it came to the heavy stuff, she wondered.

“Oh, funny thing,” Jim added. “I totally conned Dwight into thinking that I was a vampire.”

“Is that what you were doing all day?” she asked. She had noticed that he was up to something but hadn’t asked. “I wondered.”

He grinned as he went on to explain the details of the prank, seeming more alive then she had seen him in a while. “Yeah, it was hilarious. Karen suggested—“ She flinched at Karen’s name and he stopped abruptly. Instead of continuing, he turned to her artwork, carefully examining each piece. “So, this is your artwork? Hey, look, you finished the building. These are great, Pam.” The sincerity in his voice lifted her spirits. 

“Really? You think so?” she asked. “You don’t think they’re—amateurish or anything?”

“Well, everyone has to start somewhere. The fact that you’re trying has to count for something,” he told her. His words were comforting. “I think they’re great but I think everything you do is great.” 

“Thank you,” she blushed slightly at the compliment.

There was a long pause before he spoke again. “Why did you go back to him?” The tone of his voice had changed, he almost seemed angry with her. His eyes remained fixed on the artwork as if he couldn’t look at her. “I realize it’s probably not my place and you and I lately have just been—“ he let out a sigh. “After everything you told me about him, why Roy?”

“I didn’t go back to him,” she said defensively. “He’s been incredibly nice lately and you know, you shouldn’t be one to judge, you don’t know the whole picture.”

“Oh, really?” he asked. “Would you mind explaining? Because I just don’t get it.”

“Sometimes it’s nice just to have someone there,” she explained while looking at the floor. “And at least he’s trying to help with the baby.” As soon as she said it, she realized how harsh that had sounded and judging by the hurt look on his face, she immediately wished she hadn’t said it. 

“Right,” he said, his voice soft. “You know, Pam, I-“

They were interrupted by Roy’s arrival. “Hey, Pammy, wow, this is your stuff? It’s fantastic,” he said with an over enthusiastic voice. He put his arm around Pam. “Hey, Halpert.”

“Hey,” Jim replied, though Pam could tell how uncomfortable he now was. 

“Roy, don’t,” she said, squirming to get away from him. 

Roy had a confused look on his face, not quite comprehending the situation. But he seemed to brush it off and went on to look at Pam’s artwork. “Pammy, you know,” he said. “I was looking at all the art in here as I walked in and your art is definitely the best art of all the art.” He looked at her as though he were a puppy who had done a good trick and now wanted a treat. 

“Yeah,” Jim gave her a look of disbelief. “I think I’m going to get going now.”’

“Jim-“ she started to protest. They weren’t done with their conversation but nothing was going to get said with Roy there and Jim didn’t look as though he were willing to wait.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Pam,” he gave. 

“Night,” she said, a frown on her face.


	18. Chapter 18

…Thursday…

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Karen said as she and Jim walked back to his car hand in hand. The cocktail party at David Wallace’s was winding down and Jim and Karen were headed out early having a long drive home ahead of them.

“It really wasn’t,” Jim replied. Work functions weren’t really his thing since he didn’t really care for talking paper in his free time but the cocktail party had surprised him. The party itself was as dull as he expected, most of the people there awkwardly talking about work related subjects since most people didn’t know each other but he got to spend some time hanging out with David Wallace, who up until then didn’t know very well. Unlike many of the other stiff people who worked at Dunder-Mifflin, Wallace was a laid-back, easygoing guy, who had taken a liking to Jim. 

“So, what did you and David Wallace talk about?” Karen asked as they walked down the street to the car. Even though it was dark, he could see the curiosity written all over her face. It was like she wanted to see if he had passed some sort of test. “I think you guys skipped out on the party for an hour or so.”

“What? Didn’t like being alone?” Jim teased. 

Karen rolled her eyes. “C’mon, it’s not like I was looking forward to coming any more than you, it just showed initiative and willingess to be an active part of the company. But most of those people I could care less if I saw again. Besides, I was witness to a drunken Jan trying to force herself on Michael. Yes, that was terrifying. So, seriously, what did he say?”

Jim gave her a shrug. “He didn’t really say anything,” he replied. “We shot some hoops, talked a little about college basketball playoffs, and he mentioned he wasn’t really into cocktail parties either. Oh, and he did mention he thought Jan and Michael were insane but everyone who meets them says that.”

“Huh,” Karen said as if trying to assess the meaning of the interaction. “Well, Wallace likes you, that much can be determined. If nothing else, it’ll give you a leg up if a position opens at corporate.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jim said not caring for how Karen had turned a nice evening around to more talk of their future. He dropped her hand so he could fish his keys out of his pocket. 

Karen stood next to the car, examining the nice, quiet, upper-class neighborhood. “Don’t you think it would be nice to live here?” she asked him.

He tensed at the question. “Uh, sure,” he replied tentatively. “It’d be a little pricey. And you’d always be subjected to more of those cocktail parties, only they’d be your neighbors and you’d be forced to talk about things like the stock market and celebrities and other boring things.”

“Well, yeah,” she said, leaning on the car as she waited for him to unlock it. “But can’t you see raising your kids here? Have a great place for them to go to school? Live in a nice neighbor hood while still being close to the city?”

He couldn’t believe Karen was talking about children and potential future together. He still hadn’t told her that he was, indeed, going to be a father and wondered how she would react to the news. He suspected being trapped in the car with her for a few hours would not be the best timing for that conversation. “I don’t know,” he said as he got in the car. “I think I’d want to raise my kid in a place where they can run around and get dirty. And I’m not sending my kid to any place that enforces school uniforms. Besides, I think the kid should be close to family, so I’d want to stay close to Scranton.”

Karen gave him an odd look. “You mean, Stamford, right? I thought your whole family was from Connecticut.”

“Stamford, right,” Jim corrected immediately. He couldn’t believe he had slipped up. Karen still looked at him suspiciously as he buckled his seat belt so he changed the subject. “So, while I was out with Wallace, Dwight was throwing lawn furniture off the roof…”

\--

…Friday…

She had done it. After hours of fiddling with the thing, extensive online research, a trip to the library, and two trips to the hardware store, Pam had done it. She fixed her garbage disposal and she had done so all by herself. It may have not been the ideal way to spend a Friday evening but she was proud of herself for not having to call anyone to come out and help her. For the first time she really felt as though she could handle her life all on her own.

When Roy arrived as she was taking care of the mess she had made, he didn’t seem so impressed. “Why didn’t you just wait until I got here?” he asked, placing their dinner of fast food on the table. “I would have fixed it for you.”

“But that’s the point,” Pam said as she rummaged through the bags. “I didn’t need your help,” she smiled, happy with herself. “I didn’t anyone’s help. Well, I did kinda needed the guy at the hardware store’s help but you get what I mean.”

Roy gave her a funny look. “Pam, c’mon, you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be doing that stuff. Besides, that’s what the man is supposed to do.”

Pam rolled her eyes. “I’m going to ignore that you said that.”

“So, hey,” Roy said a grin on his face. “I knew you couldn’t have caffeine, so I went out and bought some light beer instead.” He placed a six-pack on her counter.

“Seriously, Roy?” she asked. “You do know that alcohol is worse for a baby than caffeine, right?” He looked at her dumbly. “Did you pick up the juice like I asked you to?”

“They didn’t have any juice at the party store,” Roy explained. 

Pam let out a frustrated sigh. “I asked you to do one thing before you came over and you didn’t do it.”

“What are you getting so mad about?” he said defensively. “There’s a store next to the hardware store, why didn’t you just pick it up?”

“Roy…” she wasn’t up for arguing.

A few hours later, after they had dinner, and after she had sent him to the store for juice, they sat on the floor watching the credits roll on a movie. Roy was behind Pam massaging her back. She didn’t even care that it was Roy giving her the massage, her back was so sore, so she would have taken anybody’s offer. After a while, though, Roy started to get a little frisky, moving his hands from her back to the sides of her breasts. Even if she weren’t pregnant, she wouldn’t want his hands there. 

“Don’t,” she said pulling away from him. 

“What?” he asked, playing innocent. He went back to roaming his hands over her back. It lasted only a minute before his hands were back at her breasts.

She turned around and glared at him. “I told you no,” she said firmly. 

“C’mon,” Roy said. “You always liked that.”

“I don’t like it now,” she told him. 

“Pammy, are you going to tell me that you haven’t been feeling anything this past month?” he asked, he looked at her with that familiar look. The look he used to give her right before he would kiss her. Before she could respond in any way, he kissed her. 

It was short and wet and reminded her of every time he used to kiss her. Some things never change. She pulled away from him, slightly amazed. If she ever had any doubts that she made the right decision calling off the wedding, they were confirmed with that kiss. She felt nothing. “Roy, I told you no,” she said, using the couch as leverage to get up. 

“What do you mean no?” he asked, annoyance in his voice. “I thought this was about us getting back together.” He followed her off the floor. 

“No, Roy, this was never about that,” Pam replied not liking how much Roy had misinterpreted everything. “We are not going to get back together.”

A familiar anger crossed his face. “What the hell, Pam? Then what’s this all been about? Is there some other guy or something?”

Pam felt the anger rise as it always did eventually with Roy. “As a matter of there is but that’s hardly the point. This was supposed to be you helping me out as a friend and nothing more.”

Roy missed the point completely. “Who is he,” he demanded. “That absentee father of your baby, that jackass Danny Cordray.”’

“Oh, god,” she muttered in frustration. “Danny Cordray is not the father of my child, Jim Halpert is.” The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had said them.

Roy’s eyes grew wide. “Halpert? Fucking Halpert?” he shouted. “What the hell has that guy done for you lately? That guy has barely acknowledged your presence, let alone help you. Who has been helping you out, Pam? I have. I have been helping you with this baby.”

“Roy, calm down,” Pam said, her voice firm. “This is not about Jim. This is about you and me and how this is not working.”

“You’re damn straight this isn’t working,” Roy’s temper blew; the Roy she was used to coming back full force. “I can’t believe you were leading me on this whole time.”

“I was not leading you on, ever,” Pam yelled back. “For once, I actually thought you were being a nice guy and putting my needs first. I thought we were getting along as friends, Roy. But apparently, you haven’t changed. I don’t think you can change.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Pam?” Roy picked up one of the empty bottles off the end table and threw it at the wall, bits of glass showering over the couch.

Roy had never hit her while they had dated, never hurt her in anyway, but she had been subjected to plenty of tantrums such as this. She wasn’t scared by any means but there was no way that she would ever subject her child to it. 

“Get out,” she said, her voice firm but calm. 

“Pammy, I’m so sorry,” Roy began to plead, realizing what he had done. “I’m so, so, sorry.”

“Get out of my house,” Pam repeated pointing at the door. 

“I can be better,” Roy insisted. “I swear, I can.”

“If you don’t leave now, I will call the police.” As if to prove she wasn’t joking, she retrieved her cell phone from her purse.

“Fine!” he screamed at her. “You have fun trying to do this all by yourself.” He grabbed his jacket and left, slamming the door on his way out.

Somewhat shaken, Pam dialed her phone. “Hey, Is, I know it’s late but can you come over…”

\--

…Saturday…

When Jim arrived at his brother’s place in Philadelphia that afternoon, he was greeted by two very happy kids. 

“Uncle Jim! Uncle Jim! Uncle Jim! Uncle Jim!” Seven-year-old Eric repeated excitedly as he jumped up and down in the doorway.

“Hey, Uncle Jim!” Ten-year-old Vanessa said, coming up to him to give him a big hug. 

He loved his niece and nephew. “Hey, guys, how are you?” 

They pulled him inside the house. “Good, good, good, good,” Eric repeated, still bouncing around. 

His sister-in-law, Marcie, walked into the living room. “Jimmy!” she said warmly, holding out her hands so he could give her a hug. Marcie was nine months pregnant therefore; Jim had to reach around her belly to give her one. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad you came down. Tom’s not here at the moment, he had to run to the office to finish something up but he’ll be here in time for the basketball game.” March Madness had started and he and Tom always made bets on college basketball. Usually they worked it out over the phone but that year, Jim felt compelled to visit his brother. 

“Hey, Uncle Jim, guess what?” Vanessa asked, eager for her uncle’s attention. “I got my new trumpet yesterday.”

“Did you?” Jim said a smile on his face. “That’s awesome.” 

“Yeah, and I can play the C scale and the F scale and the B-flat scale. That one is tricky because it has two flats.” Vanessa said proud of herself. 

“Two flats, wow,” Jim said. He had forgotten how much he missed being around his family. 

“Do you want to hear it?” Vanessa asked.

“Sure,” Jim replied. “I would love to hear it.”

“Vanessa, go take your uncle’s bags to the guest room,” her mother called out. 

“But, mom…” Vanessa wined. “I was gonna play my trumpet for Uncle Jim.”

“Go do it!” she ordered. “Uncle Jim isn’t going anywhere, he’ll have all weekend to hear you play the trumpet.”

“Ug, fine.” Vanessa stomped her feet but took Jim’s bag and dragged it up the stairs. 

“Hey, Uncle Jim, hey, Uncle Jim, hey, Uncle Jim!” Eric was pulling at his hand. “I just got a new video game.”

“Really, which one?” Jim asked as the little boy took him over to the TV where the game console was pulled out, plenty of video games everywhere. 

“I got the new Mario Kart!” he exclaimed. 

“You have the new Mario Kart game?” Jim said, loving how his nephew lit up when he asked. 

“Yeah,” Eric continued. “And I have already set the top record. I like playing as Toad. He’s super fast. Do you want to play Mario Kart with me?” he asked. 

“I will definitely play Mario Kart with you,” Jim said. “Can I be the princess?”

“Ew,” Eric scrunched his nose. “The princess is for girls.”

“Oh, well, that in case, I’ll just be Luigi,” Jim said with a laugh. 

“Hey, Eric, can I borrow Uncle Jim for a minute?” Marcie asked her son. 

“Mom,” Eric wined. “I wanted Uncle Jim to help me unlock Star Road.”

“Uncle Jim can help you unlock Star Road in a few minutes, okay?” Marcie said. 

“Okay,” Eric sulked.

“Okay, Eric, you get it all set up and I’ll be out in a minute,” Jim assured him. 

The little boy went back to the game as Jim followed his sister-in-law into the kitchen. 

“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full today,” Jim commented.

Marcie went to the counter where she had been making a salad. “They’re always a handful,” she replied. “Do you mind helping me with this.”

“No, not at all,” Jim said. Marcie handed him a cucumber, a knife and a cutting board. 

“So, Jimmy, how nice of you to come visit,” Marcie said as she chopped up a carrot. 

“Well, you know,” Jim said. “The college basketball playoffs start today, and I haven’t seen you guys since Christmas, so you know.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I know it’s a rare thing that you decide to randomly come down and visit us,” she stated. “So, what’s the deal?”

“There’s no deal,” Jim insisted. “Do I need a reason?”

“I have known you, Jimmy, since we were both teenagers,” Marcie reminded him. “I know you Halpert boys. Something’s on your mind.”

Jim gave a laugh at his sister-in-laws intuitiveness. “Um,” he began as he carefully chopped the cucumber. “Marce, do you think I’ll make a good father?”

“Why, are you thinking about coming one?” she asked as she threw some carrot chunks into the large, white, plastic salad bowl. 

“Not exactly,” he said slowly. 

Marcie stopped her chopping to stare at him. “Karen’s pregnant?” she asked bluntly.

“Not exactly,” he repeated, his eyes fixed on the vegetable. 

“Alright, then who’d you get pregnant?” she asked. He was taken aback by how unsurprised she was.

“The receptionist,” Jim replied after a moment.

Marcie burst out laughing. “What, are you having an affair or something? Oh my god, she isn’t eighteen or something and this is some power thing, is it?”

“Oh, god, no, Marce,” Jim said disgusted that she would even suggest that. “No, we’re the same age, I met her at that convention I went to awhile back.”

Now Marcie was surprised. “Jimmy, did you hook up with a chick at a convention and get her pregnant?”

“Um, yep,” Jim responded. 

“Wow, that’s exciting,” Marcie said flatly. “And not at all you. I thought you got the memo that read if you’re not going to wrap it, keep it in your pants.”

Jim laughed uncomfortably. “I know,” he went back to chopping the cucumber. “But this girl, Marce, she’s just—she’s just beautiful and warm and amazing and… And it was worth it.” He flushed a little thinking of Pam. He then gave her an abridged account of what had happened between him and Pam. “Anyway, I didn’t even know the baby was mine until, like, a week ago. And ever since I found out, I’ve been sorta freaking out. I can’t really talk to Karen about it, cause, you know, girlfriends don’t like to hear you’re having a baby with someone else. And I can’t really talk to any of my friends about it, so I thought I’d come here.”

“Ah,” Marcie said as if it all became clear for her. “Tom’s gonna have a field day with this but you can talk to me. How far along is she?”

“Almost seven months,” Jim replied.

“Seven months!” Marcie said, shocked. “Holy cow, she waited seven months to tell you? Not a lotta time for you to process.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jim said. “I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the whole thing.”

“Do you know her due date?”

“No.”

“How’s the baby’s health?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is she going to let you have joint custody?”

“I don’t know,” Jim said frustrated. “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. I have no freaking clue what I’m doing. I have no freaking idea how to be a father.”

“Calm down, Jimmy,” Marcie said in a comforting tone. “None of us really know what we’re doing. It’s not like parenthood comes with a handbook. Hell, I’m on number three and I’m still not sure what I’m doing.” 

“I just feel so overwhelmed,” he admitted.

“As it should be,” Marcie said. “As it should be. Look, obviously you’re here for advice so, this is what I’m gonna say. You have two choices; one, you can be a deadbeat dad and not be there for the kid. I’d say if you don’t want it, don’t ever be in its life, it’s better for the kid that way. Your second choice is to stay here this weekend, do all the freaking out you need, and then go back to Scranton and be the dad I know you’re capable of being.”

“You really think I’d be a good dad?” he asked.

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ve never known you Halpert boys not to be a good dads. Besides, you better decide to raise this baby. It’s half Halpert. Do you really want it to grow up without knowing its awesome aunt or equally awesome cousins? I think my new baby would love a playmate.”

Jim hadn’t really thought about that before. The baby was half his, meaning it’d get half the genes. He started thinking about the future, wondering what traits the kid would possibly get from him. “I can do this,” Jim said, sounding more confident. “I can raise a kid, right? I mean, Tom and Pete can do it and they’re bigger losers than I am, so…”

His sister-in-law laughed. “Your brothers have Brenda and I, which brings me to my next point, when are we going to meet this girl? She’s obviously not just some chick by the way you talk about her.”

Jim shook his head. “Yeah, not any time soon. ‘Cause if you get to meet her, Mom will want to and then Larissa and Pete and then the whole family will want to. You guys all at once will scare her away. It was bad enough what you did to Karen at Christmas. I’ll have to slowly intergrade Pam into the family or something. That is, if she even wants to be a part of it.” 

“She will,” Marcie said with a smirk. “I mean, if she fell for the Halpert charm once, it’ll happen again.” 

Just then, Jim heard the front door close and the kids go crazy of the return of their dad. A minute later, the balding Tom entered the kitchen. “Hey, dumbass,” Tom said affectionately, a broad grin spreading across his face when he saw Jim in the kitchen. “You got your picks ready?” He put his briefcase down on the table and took off his coat, placing it on a chair. 

“Hey loser,” Jim returned. “I do and you better be ready ‘cause you’re going down.”

Tom went over to give Marcie a quick kiss before she returned to the salad. From the living room, he heard the sounds of the kids, Eric yelling at Vanessa to keep her trumpet playing down so he could play his game. Vanessa’s playing grew louder and soon the TV grew louder as well, the video game music coming in clear from the other room. Marcie yelled at them to keep it down. He let out a sigh, it was definitely a Halpert household, one reminiscent of when he was younger and growing up. It was family. It was home. And he knew right then, he wanted the same for his child.


	19. Chapter 19

…Monday…

“Hey, Jim, you didn’t give me a call last night,” Karen said as she and Jim met in the parking lot that morning before work.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Jim stumbled. “I got in really late, didn’t want to wake you.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Really, well, when do I get to hear about the fun weekend in Philadelphia? Want to do a pizza tonight?”

“Um, maybe,” Jim said purposely not looking her in the eye. 

As they approached the door, Jim noticed that Roy was pacing in front of it, looking rather angry. 

“Hey, Halpert!” Roy cried out.

Jim stopped in his tracks, shocked to hear Roy yelling at him. 

“Did you really think you could get her pregnant and then ditch her?” Roy screamed, loud enough for the entire parking lot to hear. Roy lunged forward. Jim put a protective arm out to shield Karen from whatever was about to happen. A very angry and possibly drunk Roy pushed Jim, causing him to stumble back a few steps. 

“What the hell, Roy?” Jim said backing away from him. A crowd was beginning to form. 

“What?” Roy taunted. “Not gonna fight me?” Roy pushed at him again. Defending himself and not backing down to Roy’s taunts, Jim got in one shove before Roy cocked his fist and punched Jim squarely in the eye. Chaotic screaming was the last thing he heard before his head hit the cement. 

\--

…Tuesday…

“So, then what happened?” Isabelle asked, eagerly waiting for Pam to finish explaining what happened the previous morning. They were sitting together on Pam’s couch, Isabelle arriving not that long after Pam had gotten home from work. 

“Dwight took him out with pepper spray,” Pam explained, stretching her feet out to rest on the coffee table. 

“Dwight as an action hero? That’s totally hot,” Isabelle said.

“Ew, no,” Pam said scrunching her nose. “Anyway, Roy was fired, which is great because then I don’t really have to deal with him any more. Jim was taken to the emergency room, an ambulance was called and everything. He came back later that afternoon but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t come into work today either, so I have no idea what’s going on.” She frowned and rubbed her belly, feeling the baby move inside. “I’ve made such a mess of this. Sometimes— Sometimes, I wish I never went back to that hotel room.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Isabelle rubbed her shoulder. “The Roy thing was always going to boil over sooner or later and Jim isn’t the be all and end all you thought he’d be. Look at the upside. You get this baby. This awesome little thing that you created and can mold in whatever shape or form you’d like. And besides,” Isabelle gave with a smirk, “I’d rather have experienced one night of incredibly passionate sex then to have never experienced that at all.”

“Isabelle!” Pam hit her with a throw pillow.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Pam and Isabelle both got up to see who it was. When Pam answered it, she grimaced when she saw Roy standing there. Isabelle immediately stepped between them. 

“You need to go,” Isabelle said firmly. 

“I just have something to say,” Roy pleaded, trying to force his way in. 

“You’ve done enough talking,” Isabelle informed him, standing firmly between him and Pam. 

“I came to apologize,” he said. 

Isabelle was ready to shove him out by Pam stopped her. “Let him in,” she said in a calm voice.

“Pam!” Isabelle protested.

“He’s not staying long,” Pam assured her. 

Isabelle gave Roy a glare. “Alright, I’ll be in the living room if you need me,” she said as she left the room, leaving Roy and Pam alone in the small hallway.

Pam crossed her arms. “Alright, Roy, you have one shot, say what you need to say.”

“I, uh,” he started, rubbing the back of the neck. He actually seemed nervous, which Pam wasn’t used to seeing. “I’m, uh, sorry. I am. I just went a little out of control for a minute. I kept thinking about that if I couldn’t be there for the you and the baby, someone should and it made me so mad that he wasn’t doing anything, I sorta snapped. But I, uh, shouldn’t have—it wasn’t my place.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Pam agreed. “But I think I should say sorry, too.”

“What?” Roy looked surprised to hear that. 

“I think I was taking advantage a little,” she admitted. “I should have not played with your feelings when the only thing I wanted was not to feel lonely anymore.”

“Oh,” Roy said comprehending. “Wow. So, we both messed things up, didn’t we.”

She nodded. “Yeah, a little bit.”

“I know you and I are, like, over over but, uh,” he looked as though he were trying to find the right words. “But, I don’t regret nothing and, uh, I hope you find someone who treats you right.” He gave her an unexpected hug, light enough not to squish the baby.

“Thank you, Roy,” she said returning. “I hope you do, too.”

Closure is what she felt right then. A bit of relief as well but mostly closure.

\--

…Tuesday (earlier that day)…

He was still in his pajamas when he answered the door. He knew she would be there; it was, after all, her turn to pick him up. “Why aren’t you dressed?” Karen asked, looking him up and down, a concerned look on her face. 

“I’m not going into work today, not feeling up to it,” he told her. “Come on in, though.” The seriousness in his voice worried her. 

“What’s going on?” Karen asked, she was now in full defense mode. “Jim, talk to me.”

“What’s in the bag?” he asked, pointing to the silver, shiny gift bag she had brought.

“It’s for you,” she handed it to him as she walked in. 

Jim shut the door before he opened his present. It was a little baby onesie with ducks on it and a pair of green booties. They were adorable and a sign that Karen was trying, which made what he was about to do seem horrible. He hated that he felt horrible when it came to Karen but it was almost an inevitable feeling. “Karen, you didn’t have to do this…” he said.

“I know,” she gave. “Since Roy pretty much informed everyone of what I already suspected, I figured instead of going mega bitch on you, which I realized I’ve been lately, I should just accept it because there’s nothing I can do about it.” 

He felt pain, literal pain for her because she was a good person and he did care for her, even if he couldn’t return the feelings she felt for him. “I’m gonna make a quick phone call,” he said as he grabbed his cell and began dialing. “Hey, Michael, it’s Jim…yeah, Karen and I aren’t coming into work today…not, we’re not doing that…yup, uh-huh…yup…I’m sorry you wore women’s clothing…I’m sure you have other clothes in your closet…okay…okay…Michael, I gotta go…alright, bye.”

Karen had taken a seat at the kitchen table. She looked almost scared. “Okay, Jim, why am I not going to work?”

He sat at the table beside her. When he finally spoke, he spoke slowly. “Karen, for a long time I haven’t been honest with myself and my own selfishness has hurt a lot of people. You are an amazing person and I have been not a good person to you. Not at all what you deserve. For so long you’ve wanted an honest and open talk and I think I’m ready to have one.”

Karen looked close to tears. “It’s over, isn’t it?”

He nodded, not able to look her in the eye. “Yeah, it is…”

\--

…Wednesday…

He smiled at her when he came in that morning. Pam was getting used to him not paying any attention to her, so when he smiled it caught her off guard. He came up to reception.

“Hey, I’m going to take you out to lunch today, okay?” Jim took a few jellybeans from the jar. 

She looked at him suspiciously. “Okay,” she said. “Hey, where’s Karen, is she not coming in again?”

“We broke up,” he said simply. She swore she saw a hint of a smile. “I don’t think she’ll be in for a while.”

At lunchtime, they headed out together, the whole office gossiping about their interaction. While they all knew the truth about the baby, neither Pam nor Jim had said anything official to anyone else and even though they had not talked themselves, they had both made it a silent rule not to do so. 

They walked down to the café a block from the office, neither one saying a word. Pam had no idea what Jim wanted to talk to her about but she was anxious, hopeful even. When they sat down, Jim didn’t sit across from her, he sat next to her and that alone sent her a good feeling about the conversation. After they ordered, it was Pam who started things off.

“I don’t know why you brought me down here,” she said, she felt the butterflies in her stomach, or maybe it was the baby, she wasn’t sure. “But before you say anything, I need to apologize…for Roy. It was incredibly stupid and naïve of me to think that he had changed at all and I should have never said anything to him about who the father of my baby was. He could have really hurt you and I’m so, so sorry.”

“I, uh, I probably deserved to be knocked in the head,” he replied. The comment took her by surprise. “Even the strongest person can’t do everything alone and, god, Pam, you’re having a baby. I don’t blame you for going to someone, even if I didn’t like the choice. Besides, I think it’s fair to admit that I haven’t been there for you. So, don’t be sorry about Roy. If anything, it helped bring me around a bit.”

“Looks pretty bad,” Pam said, noticing how dark the bruise around his eye was.

“It hurt like hell, too,” Jim added rubbing the back of his head, which Pam assumed also had a bruise. “Anyway, here’s the thing, I spent all weekend with my family and my loving sister-in-law spent nearly two days pointing out how much of a loser I’ve been. So, if there’s anyone who really needs to apologize it’s me. I know my reaction to the news was probably less than ideal, so I’m sorry I went inward instead of stepping up and being there for the baby…and for you.”

“I get that it’s overwhelming,” she assured him. “But I think since I’ve had a much longer time to deal with it, I may have been a little less tolerant of your reaction. I think maybe we’ve both been selfish on some level.”

He gave her a smile. As he spoke, he seemed just as nervous as she was feeling. “Yeah…look, Pam, I, uh, I haven’t been myself for a very long time. That guy you met in the hotel, that was me. The guy you’ve known for the past couple months? I don’t even know who that was. I think I’ve been lost for a very long time, maybe most of my life and Karen, even though it’s my fault for what happened, enabled me to live my life on autopilot. After the branches merged, I think I stopped trying. I was already some pod person version of myself and I never really went back to being me. I think I found it easier to let someone else run my life instead of having to do it for myself. And when I found out about the baby, I just—just shut off completely.”

“I know the feeling,” Pam said, her voice soft, kind. “I lived with Roy for ten years and I don’t think I ever really lived. I just existed. So, I get it, I really do. And, uh, while we’re on apologizes, I’m sorry I never called you. I should have, like, a long time ago and I tried but I think I was scared. I know I was scared. I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was real and then when I found out about the baby? I think I started to use it as an excuse to hide. Because if I didn’t tell you, then I’d never have to know how your really felt.”

A look of understanding went over his face. “Wow, I, kinda, sorta, thought maybe you just didn’t like me and that’s why I never heard from you.”

“Really?” she said, letting out a small laugh. “Jim, if I didn’t like you, I would have never returned to your room that night.”

“Oh, my god,” Jim said. “What is wrong with us?”

“We’re a couple of idiots, that’s what,” Pam answered, smiling. 

“Pam,” Jim started seriously. “For me, that night was one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I would never trade that night for anything.”

“That night was amazing, wasn’t it?” Pam agreed. 

“It was!”

“And, um,” Pam began to blush incredibly just thinking about what she was going to say next. “You’re a really great…kisser.”

“Thank you,” Jim began to blush himself. “That’s good to know. You’re not so bad yourself.” 

They began to laugh, the tension between them slowly dissolving. 

“So, I think there’s a lot we still don’t know about each other,” Pam continued. “But, I think, maybe, we should start to fix that.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Jim agreed. “And, Pam, I do want to be apart of the baby’s life. I’m still scared out of my mind about the whole thing, I have no idea how to even begin to be a father but I want the baby in my life.” 

Her face lit up, she couldn’t believe how relieved and happy that statement made her. “Yeah, of course,” she said. 

“So, yeah, if you need anything, you can call me,” he began to dig in his jacket for a business card.

“I already have your number,” she said with a grin. 

He looked a little astonished that she had said that. “Alright, then.”

“Oh, you know what I can show you,” she said, digging through her purse. She pulled out the notebook that held all her notes about the pregnancy. “Oh, wait,” she said when she looked at her watch. “We’ve been out for, like, an hour. Should we be heading back?”

Jim shook his head. “I am still your boss, Pam, and I say that today you can take the rest of the day of for…personal reasons. And, since Michael is my boss, I think he won’t notice I’m not there.” She let out a laugh and placed the notebook on the table. “Alright, so what is this?”

Pam opened the notebook and began to explain to Jim about her pregnancy, filling him in on the missed seven months. Jim soaked it all up like a sponge, growing more interested as he learned about his baby. 

Underneath the table, Jim lightly brushed his fingers against Pam’s hand. She was started at first but when he did it again, she felt a rush of excitement flow through her. She brushed her fingers against his hand once before she grasped on to his hand, their palms touching, their fingers entwining. She was mid-sentence when he gave her an odd look.

“What?” she asked.

He looked at her deeply, intensely, and for a moment, she thought he was going to say something but didn’t, instead just squeezed her hand and let her continue with what she was saying. 

They talked for most of the afternoon, much about the baby, then going off onto other topics. For Pam, it much resembled that first evening they spent together. While they agreed to take things slow, one step at a time, she hadn’t felt that happy, that confident about anything in a long time. It felt good being on the right track again. 

Eventually, they had to head back to the office. Even though there wasn’t much of the left of the workday, they had to return at some point, if for nothing else, Pam had to get her car. She almost regretted having made plans with Isabelle and her sister and contemplated calling it off but Jim assured her that there was always tomorrow.

“Hey, Pam,” Jim said as they made their way to the office doors. “There’s one last thing we need to settle.”

“What’s that?”

He gave her a smirk before he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he said as they parted. 

“Yeah,” she let out a sigh. All was right with the world again. “Me, too.”


	20. Chapter 20

She and Jim decided to keep their relationship quiet from the rest of the office. However, since the incident in the parking lot with Roy, Pam was bombarded by questions and comments from her coworkers, more so than when they found out she was pregnant. Now that they knew Jim was the father, they seemed to take even more interest in her personal life and no matter how hard she tried to evade them, they always managed to find a way. 

Kelly was the worst, always cornering Pam whenever she had the chance, if not to talk about her pregnancy, then about Jim or an implied wedding to Jim. “Oh, my god,” Kelly said one day when she had to go to the annex to drop something off to Toby. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Jim was the father! You are such a bad friend, Pam. I thought we were close. So, are you two totally in love now? Is there going to be a wedding? Can I be a bridesmaid? I have a ton of bridal magazines we can look through together. Oh, I know exactly how we can do your hair.” Kelly began to play with her hair.

“We’re not getting married,” Pam told her. At least not yet.

“Oh my god,” Kelly said. “He’s such a loser then. Now that you know he’s the father, are you at least going to make him pay child support?”

Pam looked at her strangely; there were too many things wrong with that statement. “Jim and I are going to handle the situation in the manner we see most fit,” she explained. The less detailed she was with Kelly the better. 

Kelly began to pout but Pam got out of there as quickly as she could. She made it a point to avoid the annex as much as possible. 

While Kelly was more on the romance side of things, Phyllis insisted on asking her dirty and down right inappropriate things. 

“So, what was the sex like?” Phyllis asked one day while they were in the break room together. Pam was taken aback when she heard her ask the question. “Is Jim good in bed? Did he make you orgasm? Is it true what they say about tall guys, that they have big…things?” Pam had been so embarrassed by the onslaught of questions that she quickly left the room without a word.

Meredith, whom she thought would be asking plenty of sex questions, focused more on bad parenting advice. “You can totally drink while you’re pregnant,” Meredith assured her. “I did and my kids are fine. Don’t feel like you have to stop having a good time once you’re a mom. Remember, it’s all about you and those little pain in the asses have to remember that. Giving them a swack upside the head five times a day will also help keep them in line. So, have you picked a day care yet? I can recommend the one I sent Jake to…”

At least Angela, despite glares and disapproving looks, left her alone. She had only made on comment to her since the news of the father had come out. “Well,” she said, her eyes fixated on her pregnant belly. “See what you get for being the office mattress?”

But Pam would take all of those encounters at once if it meant she never had to face Karen. For a while, she and Karen avoided each other at all costs, until one day when Pam came into the break room when Karen was reading there all alone. Even though Karen sensed Pam had entered the room, she purposely didn’t look up from her book. Pam, however, felt it was finally time to say something. She approached Karen slowly. 

“Karen?” Her voice trembled due to nerves. Karen looked up from her book. “I just want to say that I’m sorry.” 

Karen looked as uncomfortable as she felt. “Why are you sorry? You got what you wanted, right?” The sarcasm in Karen’s words stung. 

“I know but…” She wasn’t sure what to say. “I think you are a very good person and I’m sorry that you got hurt.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, you sound just like him, no wonder you…” her voice trailed off. “Look, I’ll be leaving Scranton soon. David Wallace gave me a position over at the Utica branch. In about a week you won’t have to feel sorry anymore.” With that, Karen closed her book and left the room.

\--

They walked up to Pam’s apartment hand in hand. Jim had taken Pam out on what would be considered their second official date. They were laughing the whole way up to the door. That’s the thing that Pam couldn’t get over, how much she laughed when she was with Jim. No one else made her laugh like that. No one else made her feel that amazing. It all felt surreal. When they made it to her door, she didn’t want the evening to be over.

“Would you like to come in?” she asked as she unlocked the door. 

He gave her a smirk, one that made her a little weak in the knees. “I’d love to,” he said, following her into her apartment. 

She gave him a quick tour; the apartment wasn’t that big, so it didn’t take very long. They ended up in the second bedroom, where the baby was going to be. “So, yeah…” she said. “That’s my place.”

“It’s a nice place,” he commented. 

“So…”

“So…”

Now that the pretenses were over, she knew what was coming, she wanted it to. Her heart began to race as he came closer. He gave her a sultry look. She was beginning to love that look. Without hesitation, Jim placed one hand behind her head and drew her in for a kiss. She reveled in the feeling of his lips on hers, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him in closer. The kiss continued for some time, slow, unhurried, each of them enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in the other. But when Jim began to pick up the pace, quicken his kisses, push into her a little more, she broke away.

“I’m sorry,” he said looking a little confused.

“It’s okay, I, uh—“ she blushed furiously. “Jim, I want to have sex with you. Believe me, I really really do. But I’m also seven months pregnant. And I think I may want to sleep. And even though we had this great meal, I think I may be hungry again. And I know in ten minutes I’m going to have to pee. And my feet are killing me, I think I want to sit down. So, if it’s okay with you, can we take things slowly? Just for now?”

He smiled as he nodded. “Of course. I never had any expectations, Pam. Hopes maybe but never expectations. How about I give you a foot massage.”

She nodded frantically. “I would like that.”

Pam got herself comfortable on the couch as Jim began to rub her feet. “So, uh,” Pam started as she got settled. “We still haven’t decided what we’re going to tell our coworkers.”

Jim grimaced. “Hmmm, I’m thinking we don’t tell them anything, especially while Karen is still there.”

She felt bad that she hadn’t thought of that. “Good point. But you know they’re going to start asking questions.”

“Well, in that case, it’s called denial, Pam. Something I think we’re both pretty good at,” Jim joked.

Pam gave a hearty laugh before letting herself relax, the pain in her feet subsiding the more Jim massaged them. “Is this real?” she asked after a moment.

He looked up at her confused. “Is what real?”

“This, us,” she said gesturing between the two of them. “I mean, being with you is the easiest thing. It feels right. And that’s after only two dates and one amazing night and only a short amount of time where we’ve been honest with each other. If it is right, why did it take so long to get here? And, aren’t you just a little afraid that one day you’ll wake up and it’s all been a dream or something?”

Jim placed her foot down in his lap as he thought it over. “I think that when the heart finds what it wants, it knows what it wants but our heads can be conditioned not to trust that feeling. Or, maybe, sometimes you have to learn a few things about yourself first before you can have what’s right, even if that right thing is standing in front of you. But to be honest, Pam, I guess I don’t spend a lot of time wondering if it’s real or not. In this case, I know. And, if some day I wake up? At least I can say I had the dream.”

She smiled, feeling very comforted. 

“Hey, Jim,” she pulled on his hand. “If you’re okay with it not leading to anything…more, I--I want to kiss you again.”

Jim laughed. “For future reference, Pam, if ever you feel like kissing me, go ahead and do it. I won’t protest, I promise,” he said as he slid up the couch. “Okay, maybe I’ll protest a little but that’ll be only for show.”

She loved feeling the grin on his lips as his mouth slid over hers.

\--

Jim didn’t have to endure as much scrutiny as Pam did over their situation but he did have to deal with his coworkers' stupidity. The day Andy returned from anger management highlighted the bizarre conversations he found himself in. That day, Jim was sharing his break with Ryan, Creed, and Kevin when Andy walked in. 

“So, what’s up guys? Did you all miss me?” Andy asked. No one replied. “Aw, come on. So, what did I miss? What’s new? What’s the delio?”

Kevin finally answered him. “Not much Andy.”

“Call me Drew,” Andy insisted.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Jim commented.

“Oh, oh,” Kevin said grinning like a little boy. “Roy was fired two weeks ago because he hit Jim because Roy found out that Jim was having Pam’s baby.”

Jim took a sip from his mug. “I think, Kev, you’ve got that mixed up.” 

“Oh, right,” Kevin said. “You know, Jim, now that you know you’re the father of her baby, you should totally hit that. Pam is so hot.”

Jim nearly spit out his coffee. “Yeah, uh, Kev, how exactly do you think she got pregnant?”

Kevin had to think it over. “Oh…niiice.” 

“Well, congrats to you, Big Tuna,” Andy said with a smile. 

“Thanks, Andy.”

“Drew! It’s Drew!” he started to get worked up again but remembered his anger management training. “Anyway, so, Big Tuna...having a little baby tuna,” he laughed at his own joke. “Oh, wait a sec, though, I thought I heard that Danny Cordray was the father of Pam’s baby.”

“Nope,” Jim said quickly, hoping to stop it there. 

“What are the chances that both Jim and Danny are the father?” Kevin asked. 

Creed, who was eating a raw potato like an apple, piped up. “Those odds are like ten-thousand to one.”

“The odds are zero,” Jim insisted. “Because I am the father. The only father of Pam’s baby.”

“Are you sure about that?” Ryan questioned. “I mean, Kelly once insisted that I was the father of her baby. Turns out she wasn’t even pregnant. Are you sure Pam’s even pregnant, Jim? She may be lying to you to trick you into sleeping with her.”

Jim jaw dropped, astounded at what he was hearing. “No, I am—“ he stopped, figuring it was no use. “Never mind, so, Andy what was anger management like?”

“Drew, Big Tuna,” Andy replied trying very hard to remain calm. “It’s Drew.”

\--

“…so, I think there was watermelon on the ground because they were doing test runs,” Pam explained to him.

“You don’t think he was really going to do it?” Jim asked.

“Yeah, I think he really was,” Pam answered.

They were lying on the covers of Jim’s bed, Pam curled on her left side, Jim slightly behind her, propped up on his elbow, gently running his fingers through her soft hair as they talked. 

“Do you think Michael was really going to kill himself or that he was just trying to prove something?” Jim asked. 

“Trying to prove something but then it turned it got all mixed up when he did his delivery,” Pam replied.

Three weeks they had been together. Three marvelous weeks in Jim’s mind. He couldn’t believe how well things were going with Pam. He had been scared, like her, that maybe they had built things up too much in their minds but the more time he spent time with her, the more he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He never felt so alive before her. He never felt so good about his life. He may still have doubts about being a father but he had none about his relationship with Pam. 

“You’re such a slob,” she commented as she looked around his room. 

It had only take a week before Jim was spending full nights at her apartment but this was the first time she had been to his. 

“You’re one to talk,” he joked. “You’re just as bad.”

She smiled wide, sticking her tongue out between her teeth in the way he just adored. “I’m not letting my baby stay here,” she teased. 

“Oh, so it’s your baby now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll remind you of that when you’re in labor.” 

She let out a giggle as she continued to study the room. “Oh, I didn’t know you played guitar,” she said pointing to the acoustic one that stood in the corner. 

“I don’t really,” he admitted. “It’s more like strumming.”

“Yeah, strumming isn’t playing,” she agreed. “Ooohh, and a yearbook, that should be fun. If I wasn’t so pregnant, I’d go grab it.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if we know each other well enough for that,” he joked, though he was not about to get up and get it for her. He figured they’d save trips down awkward teen year memory lane for another day. 

“What’s this?” Pam asked, leaning over to grab something wedged between the bed and the nightstand. It was a pair of lime green panties. 

“Oh, my god,” he said tearing them away from her and throwing them directly in the trash. “Sorry about that, guess I missed some things. Give me a break, I’ve barely been here for the past couple of weeks, let alone had a chance to clean.”

They had talked at length about Karen and about Roy. It was funny; as much as Karen had always tried to get him to open up, he had always been resistant. But with Pam, he couldn’t help but be open. He wanted her to know everything. They had spent a majority of their time together just talking, getting to know each other, being open about their insecurities. If all the mix ups that had happened between the night they spent together and when they got together had taught them anything, it was that they needed to be honest with each other. 

Pam rolled onto her back to look up at him. “Please tell me you’ve at least washed the sheets some time in the last three weeks.”

“Uh…”

“Ew, gross,” she said scrunching her nose in disgust. “I’m shunning you,” she joked. “Shun!” She made the same hand gesture that Dwight had used on Andy when shunning him.

“You can’t do that,” he protested. “I’m the father of your baby.” He kissed the top of her head. “Unshun!”

“Shun, shun!” she said, motioning the shun with her hand while she giggled.

“Unshun!” He began to frantically kiss her cheek, her nose, her forehead. Every time she tried shunning him, he’d give her another kiss until she was laughing so hard she could no longer protest. 

“Dammit,” she sighed. He grinned; he knew he had won that round. 

“What?” he asked, pretending to act innocent as he hovered slightly over her. He loved the way she looked beneath him, slightly out of breath, her hair strewn over the pillow. She was so beautiful. 

“Unshun,” she said before she pulled him down for a real kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

…Utica, New York, Early April…

Karen sat at the bar sipping a whisky sour. She had been in Utica for a few weeks and while she was incredibly glad it wasn’t Scranton, she still felt a little lonely. She still hadn’t made any real friends yet and was currently at the bar celebrating her receptionist, Rolando’s, birthday. She was a little surprised that her employees asked her to join them, her being their boss and all, but she took the opportunity just to get out of the house. 

She was watching Rolando do tequila shots while most of his coworkers surrounded him when a guy about her age approached her. He was tall and thin and at first glance he reminded her a little too much of someone else but when he took the seat next to her, he smiled and his smile, unlike someone else she knew, seemed very sincere. 

“Hey,” he said kindly. “You look a little lonely over here.”

“Maybe I am, a little,” Karen admitted, taking a sip of her drink.

“That’s a shame,” he said, he gave her another smile. “You have really pretty eyes. I bet they light up when you’re happy.”

She blushed a little. She had always thought her eyes were one of her best features. Her last boyfriend had never complimented them. Her last boyfriend never really looked. She pushed that thought out of her head. “Thank you,” she said. She wasn’t used to guys hitting on her in bars and vaguely wondered if he was trying to pick her up but there was something about him that seemed genuine. “So, do you always come to bars to pick up women with pretty eyes?” she teased.

He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, no,” he replied. “I’m here for Rolando’s birthday party. I’m Dan, by the way.”

“Hi, Dan, I’m Karen,” she replied.

“So,” he continued. “How do you know Rolando? I saw you come in with a bunch of his coworkers.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m his boss,” Karen informed him.

“Well, that’s risky,” Dan said with a laugh. 

“Nah, everyone should be able to have fun every once in awhile,” she said. “So, how do you know Rolando?”

“I’m his dermatologist,” Dan replied simply.

“Really?” Karen said with a laugh. “That’s a bit random.”

“Well, we were college roommates as well,” Dan admitted. “So, I’m guessing, since a month ago, Rolando was complaining about his old, cranky boss that he was not referring to you. Just moved in?”

“Yeah,” Karen nodded. “The other guy retired and I was looking for employment.”

Dan seemed to sense there was more to the story. “Care to share why you were looking for employment?” he offered. “I mean, if it’s too personal, that’s fine, I’m just often told I’m a good listener.”

When he talked, he looked directly at her. It took Karen a moment to register that he was actually interested in knowing her. She wasn’t used to that. “Alright, Dan, I’m up for talking. I just have one question—you haven’t recently impregnated any receptionists, have you?”

He gave her a strange look but also laughed. “No, can’t say that I have.”

She grinned. “You know what, Dan? I think I’m going to like you.”

\--

When she woke up that morning, she was startled to find that he wasn’t beside her. She was beginning to get used to waking up next to him, so to have him not there felt oddly strange. She got up, hoping that he hadn’t already left and felt a bit relieved when she found him in the kitchen already dressed for work. She went to where he was standing beside the kitchen table and he leaned over to give her a quick, affectionate kiss. A kiss as if they had not been together for only a month but for twenty years. A kiss that she hoped she would get every morning for the rest of her life. 

She then noticed the kitchen table full of diapers and her toaster. She cocked an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing?”

He looked at her for a moment, as if not sure what she was talking about then saw her nod to the table. “Oh, right, yeah, I wanted to perfect my diapering skills,” he explained. “I need practice.”

“And you’re practicing on my toaster?” she teased.

“Well, I left my football at home,” he responded sheepishly. 

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She knew Jim was nervous about being a father. She had her doubts but she knew he was still more apprehensive about being a parent than she was. Maybe she was having an easier time because she was the mother or maybe because she had seven months on him. There were times she wished she could go back and tell him early, not just for herself, but so he could have more time to adjust. With only two months left, Jim almost seemed panicky that he wasn’t ready. 

“Alright,” she gave, and then noticed he had got through an entire package. “Looks like we should pick up some more,” she said holding up the empty package. 

“Yeah,” he said, grabbing it from her and beginning to put the used diapers in it so he could throw them all away. “Sorry about that.”

“We’ll get some of the really cheap ones, that way you can practice and it won’t be so expensive,” she suggested. He looked a little relieved, as if he had been waiting for her to yell at him. “We should go shopping this weekend anyway to get you a crib and stuff to baby proof your apartment.”

“Right, we should do that soon,” he said, thinking it over. “Can we go tonight? I have to do my laundry and I’m out of fabric softener.” She gave him an amused look. “What?” he asked, as if not sure what he had said to deserve that look. 

“Nothing,” she said almost with a laugh. He was always surprising her in the best of ways. “You’re just—a big, goofy, dork.” And I love you. 

“Okay,” he said, smiling as if he were proud of that fact. “Thank you.”

“We can’t go tonight, though,” she informed him. “Lamaze is tonight.”

“Lamaze?” He really was still learning about all of this. “Am I required for that?” he asked unsure.

“You don’t have to be,” she replied. “But, it’s always nice for the woman to have a partner. If you don’t want to go, I can always get Isabelle or Penny—“

“I’ll go,” he responded quickly. She knew he would. “I just have no idea what I’m doing.”

“I know,” Pam said, wrapping her arms around his waist, her pregnant belly pushed up against him. “That’s what the class is for. To help you learn as well as me.”

He let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Okay, I just—okay.” 

“Hey, Jim,” she said, giving him a reassuring look. “You’re going to make a good father.”

\--

He was sitting in the principal’s office of Dunmore High School; trying to figure out the last time he had actually been in a principal’s office. He couldn’t remember. It had been one of those days. It was bad enough that somehow, the company had let through the paper with the obscene watermark but the fact that Michael was making him apologize to the school in person, seemed a bit excessive. What made it worse, though, was the fact that he had Andy with him, an Andy who was complaining that his girlfriend was in high school. 

As he sat there, trying very hard to ignore Andy’s loud complaints, he started watching the kids at the school and realized that his own child would some day be a high school student. As soon as the thought entered his head, a million different scenarios began to play out. 

He noticed two girls at the secretary’s desk, both wearing cheerleading outfits that looked a little too short and they were both texting on the cell phones to, what he eventually figured out, each other. He wondered about his kid, if it’d be one of the popular yet oblivious ones. Then he saw a kid with a varsity jacket yelling at a teacher. He never realized how many grammatical ways the word ‘fuck’ could be used and began to worry that his kid would be a troublemaker. There were so many bad paths the kid could take and the thought began to scare him. 

The kids next to him were talking about a physics test and Jim thought that his own kid could be one of the smart ones, the thought of that calming him down some. He tried paying attention to the conversation on advanced science but he realized he couldn’t understand what they were talking about, having never taken physics, and wondered if his kid would surpass him intelligence and be able to run circles around him. 

Then, a kid dressed all in black, with multiple piercing and pink hair entered the office. He wasn’t even sure if the kid was a boy or girl. He then wondered if he would be able to relate to his kid at all. 

He shook his head, trying to relieve himself of his anxiety. Many of the books Pam had given him on parenting had mentioned that it was perfectly normal to be nervous about raising a child. He just wished he could do something to alleviate his fears.

Being lost in his thoughts, he had forgotten about Andy, that was, until Andy began to go on one of his rants again. As Andy complained about how his girlfriend had lied to him, it dawned on him that he could have a girl and that girl could grow up and date someone like Andy. And then, he began thinking that she could date someone like Michael or worse, Dwight. The thought horrified him and made a secret pact with himself that no matter what his child was never going to date anyone like his coworkers.

\--

They returned to her place that evening after the Lamaze class and a quick trip the grocery story for a small amount of things (including diapers and fabric softener). Pam was going through her mail as Jim placed the grocery bags on the table. 

“…So, I think Andrea and her husband Seth seemed really nice,” Pam was saying. Jim was only half listening, his mind other places at the moment. “Maybe we should invite them to hang out some time. I mean if we become friends, maybe our kid and theirs would become friends as well.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Jim replied distracted as he pulled out the groceries that belonged at her place. 

“Jim?” she asked, her tone changing to concern. “Where are you? You’ve been unusually quiet all night.” 

“It’s nothing,” he said with a shrug. 

A flicker of worry crossed her face. “It’s not nothing,” she said with a frown. “You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, we both have a tendency to go inward, I know that, but we promised each other that if this was going to work we have to be open.”

“You’re right,” he said, taking a seat at her table. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to pull away.”

“Then what is it?” she took a seat at the table as well and a comforting hand over his. “The reason I’m here is so you can talk to me.” 

There was no need to be guarded with her but he was still getting use to the fact that he could have doubts and fears and she wouldn't judge him for that. “You know I spent, like, an hour with Andy sitting in that principal’s office today? And the whole time I was watching the kids and, I know this is going to make me sound old or something, but I can’t believe what kids are like these days. And I keep worrying that this kid is going to turn out to be an awful teenager or that I won’t be able to keep up or I don’t know—I just don’t know if I’m going to be any good at it, you know? You’ve given me all these books and everything and maybe I’m just beginning to get the idea of taking care of a baby but eventually it’s going to grow up and I can barely wrap my head around that.”

She gave him a warm smile. “You do know that we have about thirteen more years before we need to worry about teenagers, right? And at that point, we’re going to have thirteen more years of experience at being parents.”

“Right,” Jim replied. “I guess I am jumping ahead of myself a little.”

“It’s not wrong to think of the future,” Pam assured him. “I mean, we’re going to have to start saving for this kid’s college education right now. But more to the point, think of it this way. This baby is a little bit of me and a little bit of you all mixed together. I was this quiet, artsy student in high school, hardly any trouble. And from what you’ve told me, you were no saint, but not a bad kid either. So, at the worst, this kid is going to creatively be able to pull pranks on people.”

Jim let out a relieved laugh. “I never thought of it that way,” he said, now thinking of the possibilities of the kid being a mixture of him and Pam. The thought was comforting.

Pam continued. “Look, I think all parents screw up their kids in some way, I guess the best we can do is love it and prepare it for the world the best way we know how.”

“You know you’re amazing, right?” he was feeling a lot better, the anxiety over having a kid still there but greatly subsided. “I’m not sure if I could ever raise a kid without you.”

She looked touched. “Believe me, Jim, I’ve been incredibly scared myself. I was preparing myself to do it alone but you have no idea how glad I am to have you with me.” She gave him a gentle, reassuring kiss on the lips. 

“My god, we’re really going to be parents soon, aren’t we?” he said. 

She nodded, smiling. “Yeah, crazy, huh.” 

He let out a long breath. “Alright, yeah, I’m sorry I was a little out of it during the Lamaze class.”

“That’s fine,” she assured him. “You think you’re nervous? I’m the one that actually has to push the thing out of me in another few months.” She gave a shudder.

“Yeah, so glad I won’t have to be doing that,” he teased. 

She gave him a glare before going back through her mail. “Hey, who’s Marcie Halpert?” she asked as she opened a fancy, light blue envelope.

“Oh my god,” he said. “I completely forgot to tell you. Marcie’s my sister-in-law. She asked me if she could throw you a baby shower and I said it would be fine, thinking it would be a great way for you to meet the family. If you’re not ready for that, though, I’ll have her cancel and my family could get you—get us a nice stroller or something.”

“No, I think that would be nice,” Pam said though she was looking at the invitation funny. “Um, your sister-in-law, she didn’t happen to go through Dunder-Mifflin to do these invitations, did she?”

“Yeah, I placed the order,” Jim told her, though was curious as to what Pam was getting at. “I gave her a discount for going through us.”

“Well, I think she needs to get her money back,” Pam said, handing him the invitation. 

There was a faint watermark behind the fancy calligraphy of a cartoon duck having inappropriate relations with a cartoon mouse. Jim looked up at Pam and they both began to laugh.


	22. Chapter 22

“I don’t want to do this,” Jim said as he opened the door to the office building to allow Pam inside. 

“Neither do I,” Pam agreed. She hit the up button on the elevator. “But, there’s no way out of it.”

“Yes there is,” Jim responded. The doors of the elevator opened and the couple went inside. “We just turn around now, call in sick, maybe quit and find new jobs.”

Pam rolled her eyes at him as she pushed the second floor button. “Michael’s been making Angela plan this for about a month. It’s May, we’re at the end of the line, Michael was bound to do it before I had the baby.”

Jim shook his head as the elevator jolted up. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we have to be here for it.”

“Don’t you think they’ll notice the pregnant woman missing from her own baby shower?” Pam asked.

“It’s Michael,” Jim reminded her. “I really doubt he would. This baby shower is for him, remember?”

“Oh, right, how do I keep forgetting that our baby is about him?” Pam said. 

The elevator had reached their floor and they exited, heading for the office. Once inside, they were witness to the horrifying sight of Dwight sitting on Jim’s desk, pretending to give birth to a watermelon as Michael coached him, being as loud and as obnoxious as he could while Dwight made a mess. Jim and Pam stared in awe.

Jim leaned in towards Pam. “It’s really not too late to turn around and go.”

Pam’s jaw was wide; she was too in shock to respond.

The baby shower itself didn’t go as badly as they thought it would. Angela’s party was tame and while Michael complained at length about it, both Jim and Pam were grateful that nothing more extravagant had been planned. There were a few games, such as how many toilet paper squares would it take to go around Pam. When Kevin guessed fifty-four, Pam put an end to that one. There was also a pool set up to place bets on when the baby was going to be born, Jim even putting down fifty on the baby’s due date. The entire office even got them a small gift basket, including various outfits and a blanket that Phyllis had knitted. 

Nearly everyone was enjoying the party. Meredith complained that Michael had once again picked up an ice cream cake for the occasion but after her second “soda”, she didn’t seem to mind anymore. Dwight was in the corner, listening to a radio, insisting that he had better things to do than take part in frivolous parties and, thankfully to Jim and Pam, kept quiet during most of the party. About half way through, Ryan looked as though he wanted to be anywhere else. Kelly had her arms draped around him and cooed when Pam showed everyone her shower gifts. She would occasionally whisper something into Ryan’s ear and he would in turn roll his eyes. And then there was Toby, sitting in the opposite corner as Dwight, silent and frowning. Neither Jim nor Pam really knew what was wrong with him but they were so surprised and touched by the coworker’s rare showing of kindness to care. 

As the party was drawing to its natural conclusion, Michael stood up to make a toast. “I told you we wouldn’t get through this without it becoming about him,” Jim whispered over to Pam. She grinned. 

Michael looked a little teary eyed. “I just want to take a moment and say just how wonderful I feel at this moment to be able to take part in this joyous occasion.” He turned directly to Jim and Pam. “As your boss, I feel that I am responsible for the two of you and for your baby. In a way, this baby is partly mine as well as Jim and Pam’s…”

“How about just Jim and Pam’s.” Jim interjected.

Michael continued. “…I was there for its inception…”

“I think you mean conception,” Jim corrected. “And no, you definitely were not.”

Michael ignored him. “And I’ll be there for its deception…”

“Michael,” Pam said concerned as she was the only one in the room who understood what he was saying. “You’re not going to be in the room when I’m delivering.”

Michael pushed on. “I am responsible for creating a family and you have no idea how much joy that brings in my heart.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Kelly said, looking confused. “How can you take responsibility for hooking them up? They haven’t told anyone about it.”

Jim and Pam exchanged nervous glances not liking where the conversation was going. 

Kelly looked sternly at Jim and Pam. “So? What’s the story?”

“Yeah, what’s the story?” Kevin echoed. “And Pam, when did you have sex with Danny Cordray? Before or after you had sex with Jim?” 

Pam gave a flustered look to Jim. “Oh my god!” she said, her eyes wide. “Where did that rumor even start? Let’s get this straight right now, nothing has ever happened between me and Danny Cordray, not now, not then, not now, not ever. Ever.”

“Guys, I think we’d like a little privacy about that,” Jim insisted.

Of course, their coworkers wouldn’t drop it. “”You guys had to have known each other before the merger,” Phyllis pointed out. “If Pam is almost due and the merger was only five months ago.”

Kelly gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. “Oh my god! You guys hooked up at the convention back in September.”

“Yeah, it was totally a one night stand,” Ryan added, a smug smile on his face. “Or else Jim wouldn’t have been carting a girlfriend with him from Stamford.”

Angela made a grimace. “Lord have mercy on both your souls,” she scolded. “Is that why Karen left? Because you are a cheater and a liar, Jim? Well, I don’t blame her then.”

It was Jim’s turn to look flustered. “I-uh—no, just no that’s not what happened…”

He was interrupted by a very drunk Meredith burst of cackling laughter. “They fucked in Philadelphia,” she said, finding the phrase very amusing and repeating it over and over. “Am I the only one who finds the alliteration hilarious? It just flows off the tongue.” She couldn’t stop laughing. Kevin joined in.

“Way to score, Big Tuna!” Andy called out, emphasizing each word, a proud grin plastered on his face. 

“You know, I did someone in Philadelphia once,” Creed joined in. “Mid-December, 1971. Against a hotdog stand. I think she’s dead now.”

Jim and Pam were both at an utter loss of words, completely dumfounded at how fast the party had derailed from something nice into crude behavior and investigation into their private life. 

After giving one astounded look to Pam, Jim addressed the room. “Okay, first of all, yes, Pam and I did meet at the convention in September. No, we are not going disclose any more details than that. Yes, we are thrilled to be having this baby together. No, I did not cheat on Karen and what really happened is none of your business. And, to reiterate what Pam said, she has never done anything with Danny Cordray, so you will all have to let that go.”

Kelly, who looked to have been in deep thought and deciding to ignore anything Jim had just said, spoke. “So, if you think about it. Dwight was supposed to go to that convention but didn’t. So Michael took Pam. So, really, Michael is responsible for the two of you hooking up.”

Michael beamed. “Yes, yes I am,” he said raising his glass. “And to that I want to raise a toast, to me, for helping create a life.” They toasted to life. “And I have one last present to give to Pam.” He grabbed a wrapped, medium sized box that had been sitting on one of the chairs. “This is my present to you, Pam.” 

“Michael, you really shouldn’t have,” Pam said as she opened the present. To her horror, inside was a black, silk chemise. She began shaking her head. “Michael, you really, really shouldn’t have…”

“Now that is a bold present,” Jim commented, getting some amusement from it.

Pam was still stunned. “I don’t think bold is the word you’re looking for, Jim.”

Michael was confused by her reaction. “Pam, I don’t understand what your problem is. A woman’s body is one of the most beautiful things found in nature and we should all appreciate that, men and women. And, this way, you’ll have something to make you feel nice after the baby comes. I know you’ll be insecure about your body, most women never lose the baby weight but that’s why I got that part that hangs over the tummy. That way, Jim can appreciate it as well and…wait…” he contemplated a thought. “Maybe this present should have been more for Jim…”

“I don’t think it’s my size,” Jim deadpanned. 

As Michael thought it over, Dwight suddenly jumped up from his chair in the corner. “Oh my god, guys!” he yelled. “The police have tailed the Scranton Strangler and they’re now chasing him through the city.”

“God, Dwight, is that what you’ve been doing this whole time?” Michael asked. 

“They’re on our street, they should be passing by us any minute,” Dwight explained.

As soon as it registered, the entire office, with the exception of Jim and Pam, got to their feet and ran down stairs just in time to see the Scranton Strangler race by, followed by a legion of cop cars. Jim and Pam, taking the opportunity of the distraction, gathered their things together and by the time everyone had returned, Jim and Pam made their way out of the office building, deciding that they earned a much needed rest of the day off.

\--

Two weeks later, Pam found herself in new territory. Jim’s sister-in-law was throwing her a shower and she had to admit, despite how many times Jim assured it would go fine, that she was nervous. Jim had met most of her family, but not all once, a dinner with her mom and dad, an evening spent with Penny, and even a whole day with Isabelle, whom Pam considered family. But until that afternoon, Pam had not met a single one of Jim’s relatives. 

When they arrived at Jim’s brother Tom’s place in Philadelphia, they were greeted by Jim’s sister-in-law Marcie. Marcie, who had just had a baby herself, was very welcoming. 

“Look at you, ready to pop,” Marcie said, grinning ear to ear as she gave Pam a hug. “Welcome to the Halpert’s. We’re a bit crazy but you’ll learn to love us.”

Pam shot Jim an uneasy look as Marcie took Pam’s hand and led her to the living room. Pam had been under the impression that it would be a small affair, but when she got to the living room, she found it packed with people. Jim seemed to be caught unaware as well. It seemed as Marcie had invited every single Halpert relative that was available, which did not help Pam’s nerves.

Pam was introduced to Jim’s mom first, whom Pam found to be a lovely woman, then to Jim’s sister Larissa, who reminded Pam a little of Jim. But then, she was forced to go around the room and was introduced to an array of aunts and cousins, Jim’s other sister-in-law and his Granny Halpert. The whole thing was overwhelming and she didn’t feel at all comfortable until her Mother, Penny and Isabelle arrived ten minutes later. They hadn’t been officially invited but Pam had asked for them to come just so she wouldn’t feel so out of place. She was glad she had insisted, just having more people there that she actually knew helped with the situation. 

As the baby shower started, despite Pam’s silent protests, Jim was forced out by his sister-in-law and sent to go watch baseball with the other guys and kids. She had never been so grateful to have her mom, sister, and best friend beside her. As the baby show went underway, she seemed a little more at ease. The women were rather nice, albeit a little more rowdy than she was used to at family gatherings. And Pam was getting a nice array of gifts, ranging from bottles and burping cloths given by the distant cousins to a really expensive stroller given to her by Jim’s parents. 

Jim’s Granny had given her something unique and something unusual. Granny Halpert had hand made a quilt, full of colors and animals. It was really beautiful and touching that the ninety-year-old woman would go out of her way to make such a thing. But her second present reminded her of Michael Scott. The smaller box held a bright pink bra and panties set and Granny Halpert was beside herself in amusement when Pam held it up to show everyone, blushing furiously as she did so.

“Gran!” Marcie yelled. “I said no gag gifts. It’s a baby shower, not a bachelorette party.”

“It’s not a gag gift,” the old woman insisted. “Just because she’s going to be a mother doesn’t mean she has to stop having fun. She knows the best feeling in the world is having a man’s penis inside her. How do you think she got pregnant?” There was a collective groan around the room, apparently they were used to Granny Halpert talking this way. Pam, however, had never felt so embarrassed in her life. Granny Halpert waved them all off. “You guys are a bunch of prudes,” she muttered.

Thankfully, Marcie was able to get the shower back on track.

As the gift portion wound down, the women all began to talk. It started out as asking questions to Pam, mostly getting to know her. She was fine with that, though she clearly avoided the topic about how she and Jim met, despite everyone wanting to know that. As the conversation continued, it gradually went into childbirth, more specifically, horror stories about childbirth. Nearly every woman in the room had given birth and they all seemed to have advice to give her. At first she was okay, when it was limited to how to get rid of stretch marks, but as the stories grew worse, from tearing vaginas to ten pound babies, to loss of blood and the idea that the baby might not be in the best of health when it was born, Pam grew scared.

She sat silently, listening to all of the stories, having a hard time taking it in. She had been focusing so much on how to be a good mother once the baby was there, she had neglected, somewhat, the reality of what childbirth was like. It wasn’t until she had gone completely pale and began to sweat did anyone notice anything. 

“Pam, are you feeling alright?” her mother asked, a very concerned look on her face. 

Pam slowly shook her head. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she squeaked, before jetting up and out of the room. She went into the kitchen and promptly threw-up in the sink. 

Her mother was right behind her. “Pammy, honey, are you okay?” She helped Pam to a chair at the kitchen table. 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. Isabelle and Penny were quickly beside her, Penny giving her a reassuring rub on the shoulder, Isabelle giving her a consoling look. “I’m just so scared, I don’t know.”

“We’re all here for you,” Isabelle reminded her.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be okay,” Penny agreed.

Marcie, Jim’s mom Betsy, and Jim’s sister Larissa entered the kitchen. Marcie dampened a cloth for her to wipe her face. 

“I’m sorry about all of that,” she said as she handed the cloth to Pam. “Some times we can get a little carried away.”

“Yeah but you guys are all right,” Pam said, still panicking. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean what if all the things you guys mentioned happen. I don’t know if I’m ready. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“We all feel that way,” Betsy said, coming to kneel beside her. “Especially with our first.” She turned towards her daughter. “Larissa, why don’t you go get your brother. I think Pam needs a little comforting.” Larissa jetted out of the room. 

“You know, it’s going to be rough,” Pam’s own mother replied. “But you’re such a strong girl, Pammy. I know you’ll be able to do this. And everything has pointed to a healthy baby. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Hell, if she can handle us, she can handle childbirth,” Marcie commented.

“We are a bunch, aren’t we,” Betsy added. “Believe me when I say I understand how overwhelming this can be. We’re all a bit much to take all at once but I promise, eventually, you’ll get use to us.”

It was only a minute or so before Jim rushed into the room. “What’s going on?” he asked, grabbing a chair and coming to Pam’s side. Everyone in the room noticed he only had eyes for her. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

“I think so,” she said, feeling ten times better with Jim there. 

“You know what, why don’t we give these two some room,” Betsy suggested. “It’s a bit crowded in here at the moment.”

Pam’s mom took the hint. “Come on, girls, let’s get the presents into the car and help clean up the living room.”

Everyone left but Jim and Pam. 

Jim pulled his chair close and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Want to talk about it?” he asked. 

“I was fine for a while,” she said taking deep breaths to help ease the anxiety. “But then, your family started telling all of these horror stories about birth and I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I can have a baby.”

“Hey, hey,” he said, rubbing her cheek affectionately. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I know you’ll be just fine. If my sister-in-law can do it three times, you can definitely do it. I know how much courage you have in you. I mean, I’m scared to be a father. You know how scared I am and I don’t even have to give birth. But you know what, when it’s all over, you know what we’re going to have? This awesome little baby. This awesome little baby that is a little part of me and a little part of you, remember? Just keep thinking about that and ignore everything my idiot family says, okay?”

Pam nodded, feeling a bit calmer. “Okay, okay…”

Jim grabbed on to her chin and drew her in for a soft kiss. She could feel herself relaxing at his touch. “So, if this is all too much, we can go back home, alright? Do you want to do that?”

“I think I’ll be okay,” she assured him. “We can stay for dinner. I think I just need to lie down for a while.”

Jim brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “Alright, we can do that,” he said smiling.

Jim brought Pam to the master bedroom to lie down for a while. Pam tried to rest but between feeling uncomfortable and the number of things racing through here brain, she just couldn’t. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she decided she should rejoin the party. She left the bedroom and headed down the hallway towards the stairs. As she did so, she heard a few people talking in one of the kid’s rooms. When she heard her name, she stopped to listen. 

Jim was there with his Marcie and Larissa, the three of them so involved in their conversation that none of them noticed Pam half standing in the doorway. She moved a little against the wall so that she could listen without being seen. 

“I don’t know what you were thinking,” Jim was scolding his sister-in-law. “When I said we’d be okay with a baby shower, I was thinking just you guys and mom. Not the whole freaking family.”

Both Larissa and Marcie were amused. “Oh, calm down, she was going to meet us all eventually anyway,” Marcie pointed out. 

“I think you’re overreacting just a little bit,” Larissa added. 

“Overreacting?” Jim’s voice was raised. Pam had never heard him raise his voice before. “You scared my girlfriend so much that she threw-up. Keep this up and you’ll probably induce early labor and that’s not good for her or the baby.” Both girls began giggling. “What the hell is so funny?”

“Fascinating,” Larissa commented. “Between this and earlier…”

“I know, right?” Marcie added. “I told you he was like this about her.”

Pam’s breath caught. She wanted to hear more. 

“Will you tell me what’s going on?” Jim pleaded. 

“Jim,” Marcie started, sounding more serious. “Do you have any idea why we brought everyone here tonight?”

“To torture me?” Jim concluded.

“He really doesn’t know,” Larissa observed.

“He’s a Halpert male, of course he doesn’t know,” Marcie said.

“Oohh, good point,” Larissa agreed.

Marcie began to explain. “Jim, you slept with a girl the first day you met her. The Jim I knew would have never done that. The Jim I knew gets himself into relationships that don’t mean much so that he doesn’t have to commit for long periods of time. The Jim I knew distances himself from any type of responsibility. So, here he is now, toting a girlfriend who’s about to have his baby. It made me curious. In fact, it made us all curious, which is why I got everyone together.”

The more Marcie talked, the more nervous Pam became. She wasn’t talking about the Jim she knew. Her Jim. She waited, a little scared as to what she was about to hear.

“That’s twisted, Marce,” Jim said, clearly annoyed. “I’m glad I could be apart of your sick games.”

“She wasn’t finished,” Larissa said. “We all got together because we wanted to see if you were taking care of this girl because of an obligation or, as Marcie keeps insisting, you’ve finally found a girl who could possible be your future wife.”

Wife? The thought sent gave Pam goosebumps. Did they really think he cared for her that much? Did Jim think—

Jim spoke, cutting off her thoughts. “You could have just asked, you didn’t need to go through all of this.”

“Yes we did,” Larissa told him.

“Jim,” Marcie added. “You go inward, do you really think we could have gotten anything out of you? I mean, you only came to me a few months ago because you were so desperate. But this girl, she’s changed you, and we really wanted to know if it was real or not. We had to see it for ourselves.”

“You really want to know how I feel?” Jim asked. 

“Yes,” both women said at the same time. 

“I, uh,” Jim started. His head was down, his voice slow and deliberate. Pam’s heart raced just waiting for him to speak. “I’m in love with her. And of course, I want to take care of her. Not just because she’s carrying my child but because she’s just—she’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I mean, she’s so beautiful. Beautiful in the way that really means something. And kind and warm, she’s going to make such a wonderful mother. She’s funny, too, which I know you guys didn’t see because you were too busy screwing with her. But she’s just hilarious. She makes me laugh. And I feel—I feel— When she walks into a room, it’s as if my world stops and she is the only person in it. I mean, I was lost for so long, wandering around aimlessly in life and when I met her it was like she was this light showing me the way, bringing me home. I can’t believe I lived as long as I did without her and, yeah, I think I may have found my wife.”

The more Jim spoke, the more a warm, fuzzy feeling grew inside Pam. Her heart ached with joy. She began to well up, just a little. Never in her life had she heard anyone talk so lovingly about her. She never knew anyone could care that much. 

“Awww,” Larissa cooed.

“Yeah—that’s what I thought,” Marcie said with a soft smile. “I like her, Jim. And I'm sorry if things got a little out of hand. It wasn't our intention.”

“I like her, too,” Larissa agreed. "Next time, it'll just be a few of us, so we can really get to know her better."

“She’s a complete sweetheart,” Marcie said. “So, I swear I will beat you if you do anything to hurt her. She’s one of the good ones, Jim.”

“I know,” Jim assured her. “You know, we’re taking it slow. I mean it took us so long to get ourselves figured out that we want to do it right. And we're having this baby, which means the world to both of us. So, yeah, now I’m going to protect her the best way I know how. I never, ever want to hurt her.”

Pam was so engrossed and overtaken by emotion from the conversation that when her mother tapped her on the shoulder she jumped and let out a small shriek. 

“I just wanted to check on you,” her mother said, looking worried. “Pam, you’re nearly crying, are you still upset?”

Pam shook her head. She wasn’t upset at all. “No, I—I just…”

Jim and the two women noticed her presence. Jim hurriedly came to her. “I thought you were going to lay down for a while, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. She had never felt more okay. She grinned even though she was still teary-eyed. “You know when you were a kid and you thought your parents were some kind of magical soul mates or something? I think our kid is going to be right about that.”

“Oh, Pam,” Jim quickly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace. She had never felt so safe, so connected, so loved and she knew right then that everything was going to be just fine.


	23. Chapter 23

“See, here’s your major line and over here is your minor line,” Pam held Jim’s hand in hers, using her free hand to point along the creases of his palm. “And here is where they cross. That’s bad. You really should see someone about that.”

“Oh, interesting,” he responded, a smirk on his lips. “And here I thought you were just making it up as you went along.”

“I minored in palmistry in college,” she deadpanned. “I know what I’m talking about. And if I were you,” she let out an overly dramatic breath. “I would be worried.”

They were sitting on a cramped bus, riding to lake Scranton, on an usually muggy day in May. She was nine months pregnant and felt every second of it. The entire pregnancy had had its difficulties but she was ready for it to be over. More than ready. The baby could come any day now and she wished labor would start soon, even then, even on a miserable bus ride with her coworkers. She was more uncomfortable than she could bear but at least he was able to distract her. He was good at distracting her. 

“Actually, I’m not worried at all,” he told her. “Because, you see, I majored in palmistry in college and you’ve missed something very important.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” She cocked an eyebrow, not sure where he was going with it. She didn’t trust his dark grin. 

“Look closer,” he insisted. She brought his palm up, but as she did so, he withdrew from her grasp and lightly tapped her nose. Then he laughed. She couldn’t believe she fell for that.

“Oh, you’re going to get it,” she teased, playfully tapping the top of his head. 

“I am, huh?” he joked back. “Bring it, Beesly, bring it.” 

“Oh, I’m gonna—“ Her legs and back suddenly felt very cramped. She tired to stretch out but it was hard, especially with Andy’s seat in front of her partially reclined. 

“Are you okay?” Jim asked, his demeanor completely changing to concern and she found it endearing how worried he got over every little thing concerning the pregnancy. She nodded, trying to brush it off as nothing. “Pam, are you sure you should be going on this trip and not at home resting?”

“I needed to get out of the house,” she said, fidgeting as she spoke, trying to get into any position to make herself more comfortable. “We’re fine,” she assured him, giving her a belly a rub. “You think she’s just as anxious to meet us as we are her?”

A broad grin formed across his face and she knew exactly why. Jim placed his face close to her belly. “Are you ready to come meet us?” he asked, caressing her tummy gently. “Because we’re ready to meet you. You know, we haven’t even seen you yet and we’re both under the impression that you’re the best baby in the whole world. And, you know, we might not be the best parents ever but we’re gonna try our best. And we love you. We love you so much.” 

Her heart warmed as Jim continued to talk to the baby and for a few seconds, she forgot how incredibly uncomfortable she was and focused on how excited she was that soon she would finally be meeting her daughter.

\--

…7 days earlier…

He was pacing back and forth, feeling incredibly anxious. He felt as though he might have been more anxious than she was but then again, maybe not. After all, she was the one actually having the baby. Still, he felt nervous, not just for himself but for her, too. It was the day after her due date and they were in the doctor’s office getting a check-up. And despite how anxious both of them were, there still seemed to be no sign of the baby.

“You’re coming along nicely,” Dr. Wilson assured them after she was done with the exam. “It’s just taking a little longer than expected. Nothing to worry about. You and the baby both seem healthy, so I would expect any day now.”

Jim came to Pam’s side and clasped her hand, which helped calm him down as much as it did her. “Is there anything we can do to help it along?” Pam asked hopefully. 

Dr. Wilson smiled. “I don’t have any guaranteed ways but I have a pamphlet of things that might help, let me go get one.” She got up from her stool. “I’ll be right back, it appears we don’t have any more in this room.”

Pam let out a massive groan when the doctor left the room. “Jim, please get this thing out of me,” she begged. “Please, just do something. You put it in there, so I’m sure you can get it back out.”

He hated seeing her so tired and distressed. For the past week, it seemed as though she was constantly in discomforted and he wished he could do something to make it better. He always fell back to his default of humor. “Why don’t you spread your legs a little wider and I’ll just reach in and pull it out.”

She let out a half laugh, half sigh at the bad joke. She then leaned her head back on the examining chair and closed her eyes but proceeded to spread her legs, which had been resting in stirrups, wider apart. “Alright, go for it.” 

“Oh, Pam,” he said rubbing her back. “I wish I could.”

“You don’t think it’s too scared to come out, do you?” she asked.

He gave a short laugh, thinking she was kidding but when he looked down, he saw that she was completely serious. “No, no, I’m sure its just very comfortable in the home you’ve created for it,” he assured her. “If anything, it probably takes after me and is a little bit lazy.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding as if she felt a little better. She maneuvered a bit in her chair, trying to get in a better position. As she did so, she let out gasp.

“What? What is it?” Jim asked, grabbing on to her in case she needed help moving.

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said waving him off. “I just—I,” she gave him a huge grin. “Dr. Wilson left her notes here and when I went to move I saw—I—Jim, I know the sex of the baby.”

“Really?” He was elated. She was the one that wanted to keep it a secret until it was born and he went along with it but he had been dying to know almost since he found out he was going to be a father. “Well?”

“I don’t want to spoil it for you,” she said looking up at him apologetically. “I didn’t even mean to look, it just caught my attention. 

“Oh my god, Pam, spoil it,” he insisted. “I’ve wanted to know.”

“Well, I kinda had a feeling it would be this,” she said, he could tell how giddy she was. “We’re having a little girl.”

“A little—“ he was speechless. A little girl. He suddenly got a vision of a beautiful little girl, dressed up pretty like her mommy. A vision of the tons of boys he’d get to scare off. A vision of him walking her down the aisle. Some how, knowing that it was an actual little girl made the idea of having a baby even more real. It was now a she and the she was his little girl. The idea of a daughter was wondrous and he couldn’t help but get a little teary at the thought. “Oh, Pam,” he said, not being able to contain himself and giving her a huge hug. 

“I know!” she exclaimed. She let out a happy little laugh as he rocked her.

“My god, Pam, we’re having a little girl,” he rested his forehead against hers. He was so excited he couldn’t stop smiling. 

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she said, completely elated as he was. 

“Completely amazing.”

\--

Pam sat on the beach in the lounge chair that Michael had brought for himself. If she had been thinking straight, she would have brought one herself but she hadn’t. Jim was the one who persuaded Michael to let her have the chair by pointing out that if he was going to lead the games, he would have no time to sit down, so Michael, in a rare act of kindness let her have the chair. 

She was supposed to be writing down everything that happened that day. Michael was insistent that she kept score in the games that they were playing. Instead, she had brought her old, beat up pregnancy notebook to make sure she had everything ready. As she flipped through the pages, she realized that there wasn’t anything left for her to do. She crossed off ‘find a daycare’, which they finally found a few days earlier. It had taken them a long time to find one that was affordable and fit their needs. Their first choice, a place down the street, had rejected them. Pam thought it was due to the interviewer being a jerk over Jim walking in on him in the kid’s bathroom. Then, they searched every place they heard about from the place Meredith took her kids (which was quickly discarded) to the place that Dwight ran with his cousin Mose (which was never a real possibility). Finally, they found one that was decent and reasonably priced, the only drawback being that it was across town.

And that was it. Her mother told her that she would never truly be prepared for parenthood and she still felt as though she was missing something but as she flipped through her pregnancy notebook, it looked as though she and Jim were covered. They even had their hospital bag with them and ready in case she went into labor. 

She was triple checking her notes when Jim, who was dressed in a comically funny sumo suit, waddled over. 

“Hey, how silly do I look?” he asked, coming beside her. 

She couldn’t hold in her laughter. “What is he making you do now?”

“I think I have to push Stanley out of that ring he’s set up,” Jim explained. “I’m not entirely sure because nothing has really made sense all day. You don’t have any idea what Michael’s up to, do you?”

“Nope,” Pam answered quickly. “I’m just the diligent note taker. Besides, whatever it is that Michael is doing, I’m sure his plan has changed about ten times since he started. But, at least he’s got you dressing up in fun costumes. I wish I had my camera.” She giggled again.

“Yeah, this is a lot fun,” he said, a tad bit sarcastic. “Am I at least winning?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I haven’t actually been taking notes. I’m making sure we’ve gotten everything ready for the baby. Which reminds me, did you put those safety locks on your fridge and toilet?”

He gave her a funny look. “Pam, she isn’t going to be able to walk for at least another year.”

“I know, but it would make me feel better if they were already there,” she said. Her apartment had been ready for weeks but she knew that Jim had been slacking when it came to baby-proofing his apartment. She felt the sudden urge to go over there and make sure everything was ready. 

“We’ll take care of it tonight, alright?” he offered.

She nodded, though she still felt rather restless. “Alright, you go out there and beat Stanley,” she said, shooing him away.

“It’s Stanley, how hard could it be?” he asked. “You just sit there and try to relax, okay?”

“Alright,” she said. “It’s a shame I can’t actually enjoy today,” she said taking off her navy sweater-jacket to reveal the oversized, pink tank that barely covered her huge belly. She readjusted her shirt the best she could, then reached up to her neck, making sure the new, heart-shaped locket she had just received hadn’t come off. When she felt it there, she continued talking. “I even have a two piece that I purchased before I got pregnant that I could have worn."

“Two piece?” he asked, looking very interested. She could tell he was imagining her in one, it made her feel less grotesque over all the weight she had gained during the pregnancy when he looked at her like that. “You’re such a tease,” he said. He bent down to give her a quick kiss before waddling away.

\--

…5 days earlier…

He had gotten up an hour early to make her breakfast; her favorite, waffles with maple syrup and sausage on the side. He didn’t cook very well but he knew her birthday was coming up and even tried making a few test batches at home just to figure out how to do it. That morning, he had made sure he was up before her and tried his best not to wake her as he scurried around, attempting to make a good meal. 

She came into the kitchen just as he was finishing up the first batch of waffles. He could tell she was still drowsy, her glasses were still on and her hair was half falling out of her pony tail. “Why are you making a mess in my kitchen?” her voice was sharper than usual and he knew right then what Pam had awoken that morning. 

Every morning for the past few weeks was a new adventure, which Pam would he be waking to that day? Because of the pregnancy, her hormones were all over the place and he never knew what she would be feeling at any given moment. He gave testament to their still fairly new relationship that it was able to endure such mood swings. 

“Happy birthday,” he said sweetly, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “You look beautiful this morning.”

“I look like crap,” she replied. “Because I didn’t sleep well because I’m still pregnant.”

“I made you a birthday breakfast,” he said, trying to stay on the positive. 

She grumbled as she pulled out a kitchen chair. “I’m old,” she replied.

“You are not old,” he assured her, grabbing a plate from the cupboard to put the waffles on. 

“I’m almost thirty,” she said. 

“You’re only twenty-eight,” he reminded her. “You’ve got a lot of time before you’re thirty.” He put a few links of sausage on her plate next to the waffles and placed the plate in front of her, along with some silverware and the syrup. 

“I only have seven-hundred and thirty days until I'm thirty. Do you know how little time that is?,” she asked, angrily cutting her waffle. It seemed like a lot of time to him. “Oh, what do you know, you’re still twenty-seven,”

“Twenty-seven and a half,” he said, trying to make a joke out of it as he poured her some orange juice. She gave him a glare. “C’mon, Pam, I’m only five months behind. It’s not like I’m five years behind."

“You don’t understand. I have an entire list of things that I have yet to do,” she said. “I feel like I’m running out of time and thirty is just another milestone I’m going to pass that proves that I’m not getting any younger.”

He knew these were the hormones talking. “Well, Pam, you know, there’s a lot I haven’t done either but maybe we can do some of them together.”

“You don’t need to worry, you’re not almost thirty,” she snapped. Logic was missing from that statement but instead of pointing it out, he kept quiet. If there was one thing he learned over the past few months, it was never to argue with a pregnant woman. 

“Would you like your gift?” he offered. She nodded and he retrieved her gift, a card and a long, thin wrapped box, out of his overnight bag. He placed them in front of her.

She opened the card first. It had a young girl on the front, holding out, as if giving it to the reader, a smaller card with a heart drawn. The picture was in black and white with the exception of the dark, red heart the girl was holding. The inside of the card was blank, except for where Jim had written his own message.

I’m giving you my heart for always  
~Love Jim~

“Oh, Jim,” she cooed, looking at him with almost tears in her eyes. And the mood had changed, thankfully. He could deal with weepy Pam much better than grumpy Pam. “That’s so beautiful,” she said, seeming sincerely touched.

“Really” he asked. “Cause that’s what the girl at the card shop told me to put, even though I thought it was a little cheesy.”

“It is,” she said. “But I like cheesy. I’m a cheesy girl.”

He grinned. “Well then, It’s a good thing I like cheesy, too.” He pushed the box towards her. “C’mon, open it.”

She quickly tore off the wrapping and opened the box to reveal a silver necklace with a heart-shaped charm. Watching her face light up when she opened her gift was worth all the pregnancy hormones he had to deal with. “Oh my god,” she said, looking up at him with pure astonishment. “Jim, it's beautiful. I love it. Thank you. Thank you so much.” She was so touched that she was now crying and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him forward for a loving kiss. 

“Happy birthday, Pam,” 

\--

They walked down the beach hand in hand. The sun was setting in the west, the brilliant colors of the sunset spilling over the water. They had a few minutes to themselves since Michael was busy setting up for his final task. Pam had been sitting nearly all day and it felt good to be walking around. Neither had said much, both simply enjoyed the company of the other. Words weren’t a requirement. 

“How are you feeling?” Jim asked. They had walked half the circumference of the lake and were now headed back to the camp. 

“I’m alright,” she said. Truth was, she was feeling a little bit of everything all rolled into one but she had been feeling that for days, so she said nothing. Besides, Jim was doing all that he could to help her; she couldn’t ask for anything more. There was a long pause before she spoke again. “What do you think Michael has lined up for this last task?”

“Probably something insane,” he replied. She expected some sort of joke to accompany the statement but Jim remained silent. 

She could tell something was on his mind. She suspected she knew what but she wished he would actually talk to her. They had spent so much of their time closed off to each other in the months between the one-night stand the beginning of their relationship that they had promised each other to always be open. Jim, however, had been closed off that evening, ever since Michael announced that he might be leaving his job. She wasn’t sure if that was what had triggered his distance but she wondered if it was because she was pregnant he felt like he couldn’t burden her with his troubles. 

He had been good about trying to keep her happy, safe, and healthy. He had been the perfect boyfriend lately. But she didn’t want perfect. She wanted real because if it was going to work, they had to keep the lines of communication open. She knew Jim went inward, she went inward herself, a trait they both had in common. So, it was just a matter of confronting, not in any forceful way, but in a way to let him know that she was there for him, too. 

But, they were close to where the camp was set and Michael and Dwight were running around with fire, so any long talks would have to put on hold. She gave him a curious glance as they made their way back into camp.

\--

…3 days earlier…

“I’m still not sure if I get what’s going on,” Jim admitted as they watched the credits roll on another episode of Lost. Since Pam didn’t feel like going out much lately, they spent a majority of their time at home watching TV on Netflix. 

“You’re just saying that because you’d rather be watching BattleStar Gallactica,” Pam said. They were sitting on the floor of his living room, Pam in front of him slightly so that he could rub her shoulders. 

“I just suggested it so we could know Dwight’s references,” Jim said. “Besides, I’m guessing you aren’t fully understanding either, you just feel for the pregnant girl.”

“She’s alone on a freaky island and is about to have a baby,” Pam said. He enjoyed seeing her get all worked up. “Of course I feel for her.”

He let out a laugh. “Okay, fine, another episode?” he asked, picking up the remote. 

She shook her head. “No, I think I’ve had all the smoke monsters I can handle for one evening. Go back to what you were doing.” She scooted into him some.

Without a word, Jim shut off the TV and began to massage her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch and he began to feel her tension release. 

“Mmmm….that feels good,” she said, she proceeded to lean back into him until her back was against his chest. No longer able to rub her shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her, just under her breasts, and held her close. She placed her arms lightly on his on his own and seemed to melt into him completely. They hadn’t had that much physical contact in the past few weeks due to her always feeling uncomfortable or not in the mood. He understood completely but now that he was holding her close, the warmth of her body flowing over him, he selfishly wished she wasn’t pregnant so he could do more than just hold her. 

He leaned forward, nuzzling his head against hers, taking in the sweet scent of her lovely curls, then placed a long kiss atop her head. Her eyes were still closed and she felt relaxed. Thinking that she was asleep, he shifted, figuring that it was probably time to take her to bed but when she felt him move, her grip tightened on his arm. 

“Kiss me,” she said, her words barely a whisper. She craned her neck up to look at him, her eyes pleading. 

He was so used to keeping his distance that it took a moment for him to register what she had said. 

“Kiss me,” she repeated, only this time it was more of a demand. He gave her a gentle kiss, sweet, tender, as he was still a little apprehensive towards her. She reached around to grab his neck, pulling him down to kiss him back; a deep kiss, sensual and wanting. It had been a long time since she had kissed him like that and he pulled away not sure if he was reading her right or if he was letting his own desire get in the way. 

“Pam, I-“ he started but his words were cut off by her lips. 

After one, long, lingering kiss, she turned around so that she was on her knees, eye level with him, her arms quickly sliding around his neck. “I want to do this,” she assured him before she kissed him again. He wasn’t sure what “this” exactly entailed and felt a little nervous that he might end up pushing her further than she might want to go but as she showed no signs of pulling away or slowing down, he decided he should stop thinking so much and concentrate more on the delicious taste of her tongue in his mouth.

They hadn’t gotten very far when his cell phone began to ring. He broke away for a second, but she grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him back in, so he reached one long arm out to grab the cell, which was laying on the coffee table next to them. He was about to push it to voice mail when he noticed the caller ID and his eyes grew wide. He reluctantly pulled away from Pam. 

“It’s David Wallace,” he said, shocked that the CEO of the company was calling him after hours. 

She sat back, disappointed, but understanding and nearly as curious as he was. “Take it,” she insisted. 

He flipped his phone open. “Hello?”

“Hi, Jim, this is David Wallace, my apologies for calling you so late,” David Wallace’s friendly voice said over the phone. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

He gave Pam a lop-sided smile. “No, I was just…watching TV. What can I do for you?” A beep sounded from the phone, indicating that he was low on battery. “Excuse me, David, I’m sorry, I need to plug in.” Since his charger was in the kitchen, he got up, leaving Pam on the floor. A cold rush of air washed over him now that she was no longer against him, giving him a shiver. He had expected her to follow him but instead, she made no motion to get off the floor and he headed into the kitchen alone. 

Once plugged in, he resumed his conversation. “Hey, David, sorry about that, what can I do for you?”

“Well, Jim,” David started. “Here’s the thing. We are going to have a position open here in New York. While we will be posting it in house and are asking all the branch managers to come and interview, there are a few people at the lower levels whom I’m considering for the position and you are one of the ones that I would like to personally ask to come in for an interview.”

He wasn’t sure if he had heard that right. David Wallace was personally asking him to come interview for a job in New York. He didn’t even begin to know what to think. “I-uh-“ He wasn’t sure how to respond at all. On the one hand, he was incredibly flattered that Wallace would even ask him. On the other, he was about to have a baby, not the ideal time for a job change. “I—“

“Look,” Wallace continued. “I know it’s a lot to think about but I think it would be a great opportunity for you. There’s no obligation here but if you are interested, the interviews are being held on Friday. Please get a hold of my secretary if you decide to take the interview.”

“Thanks, David,” his head was still spinning. “Thanks a lot.”

“No problem,” Wallace replied. “I hope you have a great evening.”

“You too,” he said before saying his goodbye. He walked back to the living room slightly stunned. He wasn’t sure what to say to Pam, he wasn’t sure if he even was going to do the interview, though it’s not like Wallace was offering him the actual job right then. Still, it felt like it, judging by Wallace’s mannerisms on the phone. 

He knew he would at least have to talk it over with Pam but when he returned to the living room, she was fast asleep on the couch. So much for talks or…other things, he thought, smiling to himself as he grabbed a blanket. He covered her up and kissed her lightly on the forehead, only slightly disappointed that their night didn’t continue any further. He knew she needed rest more than anything, so he decided it best not to wake her. He sat on the floor next to her, turning on the TV once again before nodding off to sleep himself. 

\--

Pam stood with her feet in the lake. When she closed her eyes, she pretended she was on the ocean, the tide washing up her legs, a warm breeze whisping through her hair, the sound of seagulls in the distance. It was all very peaceful. 

“You’re looking rather Zen,” Jim said. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come up. 

“I think I feel a little Zen,” she said with a smile. She reopened her eyes to see that he was standing beside her. “You know, I’ve never been to the ocean. I’ve always wanted to go, I’ve just never had a chance.”

“I didn’t know that. You know, my office in Stamford used to look out on the ocean. It was beautiful but sad. Maybe it was just my state of mind back then,” he replied, a wistful look upon his face. He picked up a rock and skipped it out across the darkened lake. “I’ll have to take you sometime.”

“I’d like that,” she said. There was a quiet pause between them. “What’s on your mind?” she asked softly.

“David Wallace asked me to interview for a job in New York,” he said, looking relieved to have finally opened up to her. “And as flattered as I was that he was calling me personally to come in, I wasn’t going to go to the interview. We have so much going on here that I didn’t really want to think about a new job, which is why I never mentioned it. This morning, though, Wallace called again but instead of turning him down, I accepted an appointment for the interview. I started thinking about how much better a life might be for you, for the baby, if we had more money coming in or a life outside of Scranton. But then, I started thinking about Karen and how she always used to push me to things like this because she said I needed direction. Maybe I do. But this interview, I don’t know if I’m doing it because I want to or because I feel like I have to or should or…” he paused to let out a sigh. “I don’t know—I just feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most days. Not just with the baby or with my job but in life. I just feel aimless, lost. I don’t know where I’m supposed to be going…” his voice trailed off as he stared out at the water. “All I do know is that I want you—need you in my life because when I’m with you, it’s the only time I don’t feel so…adrift.”

“Jim,” she started. There were a lot of things she needed to say and now felt like the perfect time to say them. “I’m in love with you. I have been in love with you for a very long time, perhaps the day I met you. And I tried, once, to not be in love you, but that was, like, big epic fail. I don’t think I know how to not love you. You and I, we have always been on the same wave length but for a long time we were just—out of sync— And for an even longer time, I was scared of life, of really living it and I hid, behind Roy, behind my job, behind my fears. I just ran and always took the easy way out. If I never tried I would never have to fail. But ever since I met you, ever since, we stopped being stupid about what mattered; it’s been amazing. It’s been—everything I’ve ever wanted. And for a while, I wondered if there hitch, some but, some something to say that what I was feeling wasn’t real but you know what? It is. This is real. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next but what I can tell you is that this is it. You, me, this baby, this is life. And I am more than ready to live it with you. 

“On my birthday, if I had been listening and not overly hormonal, I would have agreed with what you said, that there was plenty of time to experience so many things together. We have plenty of time to fail and make mistakes and stumble around. Because at least we’ll have tried. At least we’ll have given it a shot. And at least we’ll always have each other. So, if you feel that you want to try New York, then go for it, because I’ll be right there with you. And if you want to quit and become, I don’t know, a sports reporter, I’m not going anywhere. And if you want to join the circus, I’ll have my reservations but if it helps you find your way, I’ll do it. I’ll do it the same way I know that if I ever decide to pursue my art or quit and start my own paper company or join the circus, you’ll be there for me, too. Maybe neither of us does know where we’re going in life but I think that’s alright—I think that’s why we’ve got each other, so that we have someone to come with us on the journey.”

He didn’t have words for her; she didn’t expect him to. He stared at her, stunned, for only a second before he swept her up and kissed her. And in that moment, nothing in the world mattered but the two of them.   
“See, here’s your major line and over here is your minor line,” Pam held Jim’s hand in hers, using her free hand to point along the creases of his palm. “And here is where they cross. That’s bad. You really should see someone about that.”

“Oh, interesting,” he responded, a smirk on his lips. “And here I thought you were just making it up as you went along.”

“I minored in palmistry in college,” she deadpanned. “I know what I’m talking about. And if I were you,” she let out an overly dramatic breath. “I would be worried.”

They were sitting on a cramped bus, riding to lake Scranton, on an usually muggy day in May. She was nine months pregnant and felt every second of it. The entire pregnancy had had its difficulties but she was ready for it to be over. More than ready. The baby could come any day now and she wished labor would start soon, even then, even on a miserable bus ride with her coworkers. She was more uncomfortable than she could bear but at least he was able to distract her. He was good at distracting her. 

“Actually, I’m not worried at all,” he told her. “Because, you see, I majored in palmistry in college and you’ve missed something very important.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” She cocked an eyebrow, not sure where he was going with it. She didn’t trust his dark grin. 

“Look closer,” he insisted. She brought his palm up, but as she did so, he withdrew from her grasp and lightly tapped her nose. Then he laughed. She couldn’t believe she fell for that.

“Oh, you’re going to get it,” she teased, playfully tapping the top of his head. 

“I am, huh?” he joked back. “Bring it, Beesly, bring it.” 

“Oh, I’m gonna—“ Her legs and back suddenly felt very cramped. She tired to stretch out but it was hard, especially with Andy’s seat in front of her partially reclined. 

“Are you okay?” Jim asked, his demeanor completely changing to concern and she found it endearing how worried he got over every little thing concerning the pregnancy. She nodded, trying to brush it off as nothing. “Pam, are you sure you should be going on this trip and not at home resting?”

“I needed to get out of the house,” she said, fidgeting as she spoke, trying to get into any position to make herself more comfortable. “We’re fine,” she assured him, giving her a belly a rub. “You think she’s just as anxious to meet us as we are her?”

A broad grin formed across his face and she knew exactly why. Jim placed his face close to her belly. “Are you ready to come meet us?” he asked, caressing her tummy gently. “Because we’re ready to meet you. You know, we haven’t even seen you yet and we’re both under the impression that you’re the best baby in the whole world. And, you know, we might not be the best parents ever but we’re gonna try our best. And we love you. We love you so much.” 

Her heart warmed as Jim continued to talk to the baby and for a few seconds, she forgot how incredibly uncomfortable she was and focused on how excited she was that soon she would finally be meeting her daughter.

\--

…7 days earlier…

He was pacing back and forth, feeling incredibly anxious. He felt as though he might have been more anxious than she was but then again, maybe not. After all, she was the one actually having the baby. Still, he felt nervous, not just for himself but for her, too. It was the day after her due date and they were in the doctor’s office getting a check-up. And despite how anxious both of them were, there still seemed to be no sign of the baby.

“You’re coming along nicely,” Dr. Wilson assured them after she was done with the exam. “It’s just taking a little longer than expected. Nothing to worry about. You and the baby both seem healthy, so I would expect any day now.”

Jim came to Pam’s side and clasped her hand, which helped calm him down as much as it did her. “Is there anything we can do to help it along?” Pam asked hopefully. 

Dr. Wilson smiled. “I don’t have any guaranteed ways but I have a pamphlet of things that might help, let me go get one.” She got up from her stool. “I’ll be right back, it appears we don’t have any more in this room.”

Pam let out a massive groan when the doctor left the room. “Jim, please get this thing out of me,” she begged. “Please, just do something. You put it in there, so I’m sure you can get it back out.”

He hated seeing her so tired and distressed. For the past week, it seemed as though she was constantly in discomforted and he wished he could do something to make it better. He always fell back to his default of humor. “Why don’t you spread your legs a little wider and I’ll just reach in and pull it out.”

She let out a half laugh, half sigh at the bad joke. She then leaned her head back on the examining chair and closed her eyes but proceeded to spread her legs, which had been resting in stirrups, wider apart. “Alright, go for it.” 

“Oh, Pam,” he said rubbing her back. “I wish I could.”

“You don’t think it’s too scared to come out, do you?” she asked.

He gave a short laugh, thinking she was kidding but when he looked down, he saw that she was completely serious. “No, no, I’m sure its just very comfortable in the home you’ve created for it,” he assured her. “If anything, it probably takes after me and is a little bit lazy.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding as if she felt a little better. She maneuvered a bit in her chair, trying to get in a better position. As she did so, she let out gasp.

“What? What is it?” Jim asked, grabbing on to her in case she needed help moving.

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said waving him off. “I just—I,” she gave him a huge grin. “Dr. Wilson left her notes here and when I went to move I saw—I—Jim, I know the sex of the baby.”

“Really?” He was elated. She was the one that wanted to keep it a secret until it was born and he went along with it but he had been dying to know almost since he found out he was going to be a father. “Well?”

“I don’t want to spoil it for you,” she said looking up at him apologetically. “I didn’t even mean to look, it just caught my attention. 

“Oh my god, Pam, spoil it,” he insisted. “I’ve wanted to know.”

“Well, I kinda had a feeling it would be this,” she said, he could tell how giddy she was. “We’re having a little girl.”

“A little—“ he was speechless. A little girl. He suddenly got a vision of a beautiful little girl, dressed up pretty like her mommy. A vision of the tons of boys he’d get to scare off. A vision of him walking her down the aisle. Some how, knowing that it was an actual little girl made the idea of having a baby even more real. It was now a she and the she was his little girl. The idea of a daughter was wondrous and he couldn’t help but get a little teary at the thought. “Oh, Pam,” he said, not being able to contain himself and giving her a huge hug. 

“I know!” she exclaimed. She let out a happy little laugh as he rocked her.

“My god, Pam, we’re having a little girl,” he rested his forehead against hers. He was so excited he couldn’t stop smiling. 

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she said, completely elated as he was. 

“Completely amazing.”

\--

Pam sat on the beach in the lounge chair that Michael had brought for himself. If she had been thinking straight, she would have brought one herself but she hadn’t. Jim was the one who persuaded Michael to let her have the chair by pointing out that if he was going to lead the games, he would have no time to sit down, so Michael, in a rare act of kindness let her have the chair. 

She was supposed to be writing down everything that happened that day. Michael was insistent that she kept score in the games that they were playing. Instead, she had brought her old, beat up pregnancy notebook to make sure she had everything ready. As she flipped through the pages, she realized that there wasn’t anything left for her to do. She crossed off ‘find a daycare’, which they finally found a few days earlier. It had taken them a long time to find one that was affordable and fit their needs. Their first choice, a place down the street, had rejected them. Pam thought it was due to the interviewer being a jerk over Jim walking in on him in the kid’s bathroom. Then, they searched every place they heard about from the place Meredith took her kids (which was quickly discarded) to the place that Dwight ran with his cousin Mose (which was never a real possibility). Finally, they found one that was decent and reasonably priced, the only drawback being that it was across town.

And that was it. Her mother told her that she would never truly be prepared for parenthood and she still felt as though she was missing something but as she flipped through her pregnancy notebook, it looked as though she and Jim were covered. They even had their hospital bag with them and ready in case she went into labor. 

She was triple checking her notes when Jim, who was dressed in a comically funny sumo suit, waddled over. 

“Hey, how silly do I look?” he asked, coming beside her. 

She couldn’t hold in her laughter. “What is he making you do now?”

“I think I have to push Stanley out of that ring he’s set up,” Jim explained. “I’m not entirely sure because nothing has really made sense all day. You don’t have any idea what Michael’s up to, do you?”

“Nope,” Pam answered quickly. “I’m just the diligent note taker. Besides, whatever it is that Michael is doing, I’m sure his plan has changed about ten times since he started. But, at least he’s got you dressing up in fun costumes. I wish I had my camera.” She giggled again.

“Yeah, this is a lot fun,” he said, a tad bit sarcastic. “Am I at least winning?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I haven’t actually been taking notes. I’m making sure we’ve gotten everything ready for the baby. Which reminds me, did you put those safety locks on your fridge and toilet?”

He gave her a funny look. “Pam, she isn’t going to be able to walk for at least another year.”

“I know, but it would make me feel better if they were already there,” she said. Her apartment had been ready for weeks but she knew that Jim had been slacking when it came to baby-proofing his apartment. She felt the sudden urge to go over there and make sure everything was ready. 

“We’ll take care of it tonight, alright?” he offered.

She nodded, though she still felt rather restless. “Alright, you go out there and beat Stanley,” she said, shooing him away.

“It’s Stanley, how hard could it be?” he asked. “You just sit there and try to relax, okay?”

“Alright,” she said. “It’s a shame I can’t actually enjoy today,” she said taking off her navy sweater-jacket to reveal the oversized, pink tank that barely covered her huge belly. She readjusted her shirt the best she could, then reached up to her neck, making sure the new, heart-shaped locket she had just received hadn’t come off. When she felt it there, she continued talking. “I even have a two piece that I purchased before I got pregnant that I could have worn."

“Two piece?” he asked, looking very interested. She could tell he was imagining her in one, it made her feel less grotesque over all the weight she had gained during the pregnancy when he looked at her like that. “You’re such a tease,” he said. He bent down to give her a quick kiss before waddling away.

\--

…5 days earlier…

He had gotten up an hour early to make her breakfast; her favorite, waffles with maple syrup and sausage on the side. He didn’t cook very well but he knew her birthday was coming up and even tried making a few test batches at home just to figure out how to do it. That morning, he had made sure he was up before her and tried his best not to wake her as he scurried around, attempting to make a good meal. 

She came into the kitchen just as he was finishing up the first batch of waffles. He could tell she was still drowsy, her glasses were still on and her hair was half falling out of her pony tail. “Why are you making a mess in my kitchen?” her voice was sharper than usual and he knew right then what Pam had awoken that morning. 

Every morning for the past few weeks was a new adventure, which Pam would he be waking to that day? Because of the pregnancy, her hormones were all over the place and he never knew what she would be feeling at any given moment. He gave testament to their still fairly new relationship that it was able to endure such mood swings. 

“Happy birthday,” he said sweetly, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “You look beautiful this morning.”

“I look like crap,” she replied. “Because I didn’t sleep well because I’m still pregnant.”

“I made you a birthday breakfast,” he said, trying to stay on the positive. 

She grumbled as she pulled out a kitchen chair. “I’m old,” she replied.

“You are not old,” he assured her, grabbing a plate from the cupboard to put the waffles on. 

“I’m almost thirty,” she said. 

“You’re only twenty-eight,” he reminded her. “You’ve got a lot of time before you’re thirty.” He put a few links of sausage on her plate next to the waffles and placed the plate in front of her, along with some silverware and the syrup. 

“I only have seven-hundred and thirty days until I'm thirty. Do you know how little time that is?,” she asked, angrily cutting her waffle. It seemed like a lot of time to him. “Oh, what do you know, you’re still twenty-seven,”

“Twenty-seven and a half,” he said, trying to make a joke out of it as he poured her some orange juice. She gave him a glare. “C’mon, Pam, I’m only five months behind. It’s not like I’m five years behind."

“You don’t understand. I have an entire list of things that I have yet to do,” she said. “I feel like I’m running out of time and thirty is just another milestone I’m going to pass that proves that I’m not getting any younger.”

He knew these were the hormones talking. “Well, Pam, you know, there’s a lot I haven’t done either but maybe we can do some of them together.”

“You don’t need to worry, you’re not almost thirty,” she snapped. Logic was missing from that statement but instead of pointing it out, he kept quiet. If there was one thing he learned over the past few months, it was never to argue with a pregnant woman. 

“Would you like your gift?” he offered. She nodded and he retrieved her gift, a card and a long, thin wrapped box, out of his overnight bag. He placed them in front of her.

She opened the card first. It had a young girl on the front, holding out, as if giving it to the reader, a smaller card with a heart drawn. The picture was in black and white with the exception of the dark, red heart the girl was holding. The inside of the card was blank, except for where Jim had written his own message.

I’m giving you my heart for always  
~Love Jim~

“Oh, Jim,” she cooed, looking at him with almost tears in her eyes. And the mood had changed, thankfully. He could deal with weepy Pam much better than grumpy Pam. “That’s so beautiful,” she said, seeming sincerely touched.

“Really” he asked. “Cause that’s what the girl at the card shop told me to put, even though I thought it was a little cheesy.”

“It is,” she said. “But I like cheesy. I’m a cheesy girl.”

He grinned. “Well then, It’s a good thing I like cheesy, too.” He pushed the box towards her. “C’mon, open it.”

She quickly tore off the wrapping and opened the box to reveal a silver necklace with a heart-shaped charm. Watching her face light up when she opened her gift was worth all the pregnancy hormones he had to deal with. “Oh my god,” she said, looking up at him with pure astonishment. “Jim, it's beautiful. I love it. Thank you. Thank you so much.” She was so touched that she was now crying and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him forward for a loving kiss. 

“Happy birthday, Pam,” 

\--

They walked down the beach hand in hand. The sun was setting in the west, the brilliant colors of the sunset spilling over the water. They had a few minutes to themselves since Michael was busy setting up for his final task. Pam had been sitting nearly all day and it felt good to be walking around. Neither had said much, both simply enjoyed the company of the other. Words weren’t a requirement. 

“How are you feeling?” Jim asked. They had walked half the circumference of the lake and were now headed back to the camp. 

“I’m alright,” she said. Truth was, she was feeling a little bit of everything all rolled into one but she had been feeling that for days, so she said nothing. Besides, Jim was doing all that he could to help her; she couldn’t ask for anything more. There was a long pause before she spoke again. “What do you think Michael has lined up for this last task?”

“Probably something insane,” he replied. She expected some sort of joke to accompany the statement but Jim remained silent. 

She could tell something was on his mind. She suspected she knew what but she wished he would actually talk to her. They had spent so much of their time closed off to each other in the months between the one-night stand the beginning of their relationship that they had promised each other to always be open. Jim, however, had been closed off that evening, ever since Michael announced that he might be leaving his job. She wasn’t sure if that was what had triggered his distance but she wondered if it was because she was pregnant he felt like he couldn’t burden her with his troubles. 

He had been good about trying to keep her happy, safe, and healthy. He had been the perfect boyfriend lately. But she didn’t want perfect. She wanted real because if it was going to work, they had to keep the lines of communication open. She knew Jim went inward, she went inward herself, a trait they both had in common. So, it was just a matter of confronting, not in any forceful way, but in a way to let him know that she was there for him, too. 

But, they were close to where the camp was set and Michael and Dwight were running around with fire, so any long talks would have to put on hold. She gave him a curious glance as they made their way back into camp.

\--

…3 days earlier…

“I’m still not sure if I get what’s going on,” Jim admitted as they watched the credits roll on another episode of Lost. Since Pam didn’t feel like going out much lately, they spent a majority of their time at home watching TV on Netflix. 

“You’re just saying that because you’d rather be watching BattleStar Gallactica,” Pam said. They were sitting on the floor of his living room, Pam in front of him slightly so that he could rub her shoulders. 

“I just suggested it so we could know Dwight’s references,” Jim said. “Besides, I’m guessing you aren’t fully understanding either, you just feel for the pregnant girl.”

“She’s alone on a freaky island and is about to have a baby,” Pam said. He enjoyed seeing her get all worked up. “Of course I feel for her.”

He let out a laugh. “Okay, fine, another episode?” he asked, picking up the remote. 

She shook her head. “No, I think I’ve had all the smoke monsters I can handle for one evening. Go back to what you were doing.” She scooted into him some.

Without a word, Jim shut off the TV and began to massage her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch and he began to feel her tension release. 

“Mmmm….that feels good,” she said, she proceeded to lean back into him until her back was against his chest. No longer able to rub her shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her, just under her breasts, and held her close. She placed her arms lightly on his on his own and seemed to melt into him completely. They hadn’t had that much physical contact in the past few weeks due to her always feeling uncomfortable or not in the mood. He understood completely but now that he was holding her close, the warmth of her body flowing over him, he selfishly wished she wasn’t pregnant so he could do more than just hold her. 

He leaned forward, nuzzling his head against hers, taking in the sweet scent of her lovely curls, then placed a long kiss atop her head. Her eyes were still closed and she felt relaxed. Thinking that she was asleep, he shifted, figuring that it was probably time to take her to bed but when she felt him move, her grip tightened on his arm. 

“Kiss me,” she said, her words barely a whisper. She craned her neck up to look at him, her eyes pleading. 

He was so used to keeping his distance that it took a moment for him to register what she had said. 

“Kiss me,” she repeated, only this time it was more of a demand. He gave her a gentle kiss, sweet, tender, as he was still a little apprehensive towards her. She reached around to grab his neck, pulling him down to kiss him back; a deep kiss, sensual and wanting. It had been a long time since she had kissed him like that and he pulled away not sure if he was reading her right or if he was letting his own desire get in the way. 

“Pam, I-“ he started but his words were cut off by her lips. 

After one, long, lingering kiss, she turned around so that she was on her knees, eye level with him, her arms quickly sliding around his neck. “I want to do this,” she assured him before she kissed him again. He wasn’t sure what “this” exactly entailed and felt a little nervous that he might end up pushing her further than she might want to go but as she showed no signs of pulling away or slowing down, he decided he should stop thinking so much and concentrate more on the delicious taste of her tongue in his mouth.

They hadn’t gotten very far when his cell phone began to ring. He broke away for a second, but she grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him back in, so he reached one long arm out to grab the cell, which was laying on the coffee table next to them. He was about to push it to voice mail when he noticed the caller ID and his eyes grew wide. He reluctantly pulled away from Pam. 

“It’s David Wallace,” he said, shocked that the CEO of the company was calling him after hours. 

She sat back, disappointed, but understanding and nearly as curious as he was. “Take it,” she insisted. 

He flipped his phone open. “Hello?”

“Hi, Jim, this is David Wallace, my apologies for calling you so late,” David Wallace’s friendly voice said over the phone. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

He gave Pam a lop-sided smile. “No, I was just…watching TV. What can I do for you?” A beep sounded from the phone, indicating that he was low on battery. “Excuse me, David, I’m sorry, I need to plug in.” Since his charger was in the kitchen, he got up, leaving Pam on the floor. A cold rush of air washed over him now that she was no longer against him, giving him a shiver. He had expected her to follow him but instead, she made no motion to get off the floor and he headed into the kitchen alone. 

Once plugged in, he resumed his conversation. “Hey, David, sorry about that, what can I do for you?”

“Well, Jim,” David started. “Here’s the thing. We are going to have a position open here in New York. While we will be posting it in house and are asking all the branch managers to come and interview, there are a few people at the lower levels whom I’m considering for the position and you are one of the ones that I would like to personally ask to come in for an interview.”

He wasn’t sure if he had heard that right. David Wallace was personally asking him to come interview for a job in New York. He didn’t even begin to know what to think. “I-uh-“ He wasn’t sure how to respond at all. On the one hand, he was incredibly flattered that Wallace would even ask him. On the other, he was about to have a baby, not the ideal time for a job change. “I—“

“Look,” Wallace continued. “I know it’s a lot to think about but I think it would be a great opportunity for you. There’s no obligation here but if you are interested, the interviews are being held on Friday. Please get a hold of my secretary if you decide to take the interview.”

“Thanks, David,” his head was still spinning. “Thanks a lot.”

“No problem,” Wallace replied. “I hope you have a great evening.”

“You too,” he said before saying his goodbye. He walked back to the living room slightly stunned. He wasn’t sure what to say to Pam, he wasn’t sure if he even was going to do the interview, though it’s not like Wallace was offering him the actual job right then. Still, it felt like it, judging by Wallace’s mannerisms on the phone. 

He knew he would at least have to talk it over with Pam but when he returned to the living room, she was fast asleep on the couch. So much for talks or…other things, he thought, smiling to himself as he grabbed a blanket. He covered her up and kissed her lightly on the forehead, only slightly disappointed that their night didn’t continue any further. He knew she needed rest more than anything, so he decided it best not to wake her. He sat on the floor next to her, turning on the TV once again before nodding off to sleep himself. 

\--

Pam stood with her feet in the lake. When she closed her eyes, she pretended she was on the ocean, the tide washing up her legs, a warm breeze whisping through her hair, the sound of seagulls in the distance. It was all very peaceful. 

“You’re looking rather Zen,” Jim said. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come up. 

“I think I feel a little Zen,” she said with a smile. She reopened her eyes to see that he was standing beside her. “You know, I’ve never been to the ocean. I’ve always wanted to go, I’ve just never had a chance.”

“I didn’t know that. You know, my office in Stamford used to look out on the ocean. It was beautiful but sad. Maybe it was just my state of mind back then,” he replied, a wistful look upon his face. He picked up a rock and skipped it out across the darkened lake. “I’ll have to take you sometime.”

“I’d like that,” she said. There was a quiet pause between them. “What’s on your mind?” she asked softly.

“David Wallace asked me to interview for a job in New York,” he said, looking relieved to have finally opened up to her. “And as flattered as I was that he was calling me personally to come in, I wasn’t going to go to the interview. We have so much going on here that I didn’t really want to think about a new job, which is why I never mentioned it. This morning, though, Wallace called again but instead of turning him down, I accepted an appointment for the interview. I started thinking about how much better a life might be for you, for the baby, if we had more money coming in or a life outside of Scranton. But then, I started thinking about Karen and how she always used to push me to things like this because she said I needed direction. Maybe I do. But this interview, I don’t know if I’m doing it because I want to or because I feel like I have to or should or…” he paused to let out a sigh. “I don’t know—I just feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most days. Not just with the baby or with my job but in life. I just feel aimless, lost. I don’t know where I’m supposed to be going…” his voice trailed off as he stared out at the water. “All I do know is that I want you—need you in my life because when I’m with you, it’s the only time I don’t feel so…adrift.”

“Jim,” she started. There were a lot of things she needed to say and now felt like the perfect time to say them. “I’m in love with you. I have been in love with you for a very long time, perhaps the day I met you. And I tried, once, to not be in love you, but that was, like, big epic fail. I don’t think I know how to not love you. You and I, we have always been on the same wave length but for a long time we were just—out of sync— And for an even longer time, I was scared of life, of really living it and I hid, behind Roy, behind my job, behind my fears. I just ran and always took the easy way out. If I never tried I would never have to fail. But ever since I met you, ever since, we stopped being stupid about what mattered; it’s been amazing. It’s been—everything I’ve ever wanted. And for a while, I wondered if there hitch, some but, some something to say that what I was feeling wasn’t real but you know what? It is. This is real. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen next but what I can tell you is that this is it. You, me, this baby, this is life. And I am more than ready to live it with you. 

“On my birthday, if I had been listening and not overly hormonal, I would have agreed with what you said, that there was plenty of time to experience so many things together. We have plenty of time to fail and make mistakes and stumble around. Because at least we’ll have tried. At least we’ll have given it a shot. And at least we’ll always have each other. So, if you feel that you want to try New York, then go for it, because I’ll be right there with you. And if you want to quit and become, I don’t know, a sports reporter, I’m not going anywhere. And if you want to join the circus, I’ll have my reservations but if it helps you find your way, I’ll do it. I’ll do it the same way I know that if I ever decide to pursue my art or quit and start my own paper company or join the circus, you’ll be there for me, too. Maybe neither of us does know where we’re going in life but I think that’s alright—I think that’s why we’ve got each other, so that we have someone to come with us on the journey.”

He didn’t have words for her; she didn’t expect him to. He stared at her, stunned, for only a second before he swept her up and kissed her. And in that moment, nothing in the world mattered but the two of them.


	24. Chapter 24

“Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam,” she answered into the phone. 

Her morning had started out like every other typical morning at the office, answering phones, forwarding faxes, and playing solitaire.

“Hey, it’s me,” Jim said on the line. It wasn’t, however, a typical day. “I’m sitting in the waiting room at corporate. There are a lot more people here than I expected, so it might take a while. Michael’s here, he seems to think the job is already his. Karen’s here too, but she’s avoiding me, can’t imagine why. Anyway, just calling to let you know I made it.”

She could picture Jim, sitting there waiting anxiously for his interview while being in a crowded room with his annoying boss and his ex-girlfriend. For some reason, it made her smile. “Sounds like you have a fun morning ahead of you.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Jim scoffed. “How’s it over there?”

Pam looked around; everything seemed normal. Phyllis was talking on the phone. Stanley was doing a crossword. Kelly and Ryan were arguing by the copier. She could hear beeps and clicks coming from accounting. Just every day office antics. The only exception was Dwight in the conference room, where he was interviewing Andy for the position of Assistant (to the) Regional Manger. 

“Fine,” she answered. “Nothing too exciting. You’d expect that with Michael gone, we’d all be going crazy or something but we might actually get more work done today.”

“You would think,” Jim agreed. “So, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she said. She was amused that he would ask her that every five minutes or so. 

“Really?”

“Really,” she assured him. “I promise, I’ll give you a call if anything happens.”

He was quiet for a moment, as if not sure if he believed her. “Alright, just don’t worry about interrupting. Call, okay?”

“Okay,” she said with a laugh. “Jim, I’m going to be fine. You don’t need to worry. You just concentrate on the interview, alright? And say hi to Karen for me.”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” he replied sounding a little more relaxed. “Alright, I probably should get going. Talk to you soon.”

“Okay, good luck. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

“Bye.”

After she hung up the phone, her eyes drifted to Jim’s empty desk. For a moment, she remembered what life was like before Jim had come to Scranton, before she had even met him. She thought about the lonely girl who used to sit at her desk and couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in just a year. It gave her a warm feeling.

Disrupting her thoughts, she felt a sharp cramp in her lower back and abdomen. At first, she thought it was the baby but after an hour of not feeling anything, she wondered if it might have just been gas.

\--

…3 hours earlier…

“How do I look?” he asked. He was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror, straightening his tie. He felt nervous but he wasn’t sure if he was nervous because of the interview or because of other things. 

She came up beside him, a smirk on her lips. “I think you look sexy.”

He blushed. After nearly three months of dating, she could still make him blush like none other. “Thank you.”

She reached up to brush a few strands of hair off his forehead. “I’m glad you decided to grow your hair back. I didn’t like the short look,” she admitted.

He gave her a funny look. “You said you liked it back when I got it cut,” he reminded her. 

“Yeah, I lied,” she said with a shrug. “Because I was just trying to get into your pants again. Because I was really after your money, so, my baby and I wouldn’t be poor and alone.”

He let out a laugh. “Well, looks like the joke was on you, huh.”

She nodded, grinning. “It was.”

He gave her a kiss on the top of the head. “Are you sure you won’t come with me?” he asked for the hundredth time. 

“Why, do you need someone to hold your hand during the interview, Jim?” she teased.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You know what I mean. I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone with the baby coming at any second.”

“I know you don’t,” she said, resting a reassuring hand on his arm. “But I’d rather be here if I go into labor than in New York. I’m going to be fine.”

“Well, don’t you at least want to take the day off?” he suggested. “You could start your maternity leave early.”

“If I stay home alone, I’m just going to go crazy,” she informed him. “You get going to your interview and try not to worry about me.” She shooed him out of the bathroom. 

“Right, cause I have better things to do besides worry about you,” he said, as he grabbed his suit jacket and keys. He tried to brush his worry off as nothing but deep down he had this feeling that if he left something was going to happen. He couldn’t justify the feeling, it was just there, nagging at him. 

“Just go,” she persisted, patting him on the butt. “You’re going to be late.” 

“Alright, I’ll call you when I get there.” He bent down to give her a kiss before heading towards the door.

“Oh, wait,” she called after him, grabbing a green folder off his desk. “Don’t forget your sales reports.”

“Thank you,” he replied taking the folder. He wasn’t sure what he would do without her.

\--

She couldn’t believe Dwight had asked her to be Secret Assistant (to the) Regional Manager. His reasoning being that she had the knowledge of two people instead of one since she was carrying a baby. She didn’t really have to do anything except egg Dwight on and pretend to be interested in his plans for the company. It was an incredible amount of fun. She didn’t know if Jim would get the job but she knew Michael wouldn't, so there was no harm in her pushing Dwight along to do crazy things, like have ridiculous conference room meetings about soil or paint Michael’s office black. She only wished Jim was there to see it. 

Dwight’s shenanigans were also a great distraction from the pain that was beginning to occur more often. Settled in the back of her mind was the knowledge that she may be going into labor but instead of thinking about it, she tried concentrating on Dwight and Stanley’s argument over Schrute bucks and Stanley nickels. 

Another cramp ripped through her lower half and she clung to the side of her chair until the pain subsided. That one had been worse than the ones before it. She contemplated calling Jim but she thought, since it was mid-day, that he would probably be in the interview now and she didn’t want to worry him. The contractions were still far apart and besides, if she waited until midnight, she would have another day in the hospital. No need to worry just yet. 

Phyllis, who was sitting beside her and noticing that she was making an odd face, leaned over to ask if she was alright. She nodded yes, and brushed it off as nothing but Phyllis had a look of concern on her face. The last thing she needed was her coworkers getting involved so she told Phyllis that it was something she ate and went back to listening to Dwight.

\--

“Dunder Mifflin, this is Grace,” he heard the receptionist say into the phone. 

It made him think of Pam and he wondered what she was doing. The interviews were taking a lot longer than he had expected. It hadn’t helped that after Michael’s interview, he went and told Jan that she was fired. After almost a half hour of Jan screaming at David Wallace, she and Michael had finally left. Karen had gone, too, as well as nearly everyone else. He hated waiting, the feeling that he should be back home growing more and more intense the longer he sat there. 

He nervously fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing his legs and arms, flipping through a magazine, watching the clock on the wall slowly tick the seconds away. Just looking for any type of distraction, he opened his sales report folder. Out dropped a black photo with a memo pad page clipped to it. When he turned the photo over to examine it, he noticed it was a sonogram but not one they had recently gotten. This one was older, a little faded, the edges slightly frayed and he couldn’t even tell that there was a baby in it. Curious, he read the note from Pam.

J~

Your daughter and I wish you the best of luck! :) 

This was the first picture I had of her and for a long time it was the only thing that kept me going. I’m giving it to you as a reminder that any and all things are possible. 

Much love,  
~P

Touched didn’t even begin to describe how he felt. There were no words to describe just how grateful, how moved, how heart-warmed he was by her. He couldn’t believe that it was possible to love her even more. Suddenly, he had the strong urge to call Pam and was about to do so when David Wallace’s assistant, Hunter, came into the lobby. 

“Jim, David Wallace is ready for you now,” he said. 

Still holding the sonogram and the note in his hand, he headed into Wallace’s office.

\--

“So, I have something extra special for this afternoon’s Ultrafeast,” Kevin told her. They were sitting together eating second lunch in the kitchen. Every once in a while, since she became pregnant, she and Kevin would have a special meal at work to satisfy their hunger cravings. Kevin called it Ultrafeast. “I found this excellent Harry Potter cookbook. It’s mostly British food but it has a magical twist.”

“Sounds good, Kev,” she replied but she was too busy dealing with a contraction to really focus on what he was saying. She let out a groan, causing Kevin to be concerned and drawing the attention of Kelly, Ryan and Andy who were also in the kitchen. 

“Hey, are you, like, going into labor?” Kelly asked. 

“Uh-“ Pam started, not liking how her coworkers were all staring intently at her. “Yes, I am having contractions. But they’re irregular, far apart, so I don’t need to worry yet. Kevin, tell me more about this Harry Potter meal we’ll be having.”

Kevin didn’t look like he knew what to say. “Uh, Pam, shouldn’t you be going to the hospital now?”

“She probably doesn’t want to go now,” Kelly said. “I mean it’s going to be totally painful and bloody and gross. So, Pam, are you totally worried that an epidural won’t work and you’ll have to feel every second of it?”

“Kelly, you’re being insensitive,” Ryan scolded. “She’s probably fine with the pain. It’s the baby she’s probably more concerned about. It could be breeched and then they may have to do an emergency C-Section. And then she’ll have to pay thousands of dollars for plastic surgery to get the scar removed.”

“Thanks, guys,” Pam said sarcastically. “But I’m really trying not to focus on that right now.”

“Well, do you want us to at least call Jim?” Andy asked. 

Pam shook her head. “No, no, he’s in his interview and I wouldn’t want to worry him.”

“God, you should at least leave him a message,” Kelly suggested.

“I’m not calling Jim,” Pam persisted. She felt a little anxiety take over and she knew she needed to stay calm. “If we call him, he’ll become frazzled and not pay attention to his driving and then die in a fiery car crash on his way home and then my baby will have no father. Look, I’m fine, really. Let’s not talk about it and focus on other things. I just need distractions.”

“I could sing,” Andy offered.

“I can read my poetry,” Ryan added.

“I don’t really have a talent,” Kelly said, pondering. “But I could catch you up on all the celebrity gossip you’ve been missing.”

“Those all sound great,” Pam said, feeling that anything was better than thinking about the baby coming at that point. “Who wants to go first?”

\--

“Jim, I’m so glad you were able to make it,” David Wallace said as Jim sat down in the chair across from him. 

Jim was feeling anxious but not about the interview. He and Wallace small talked a little, all the while, Jim would glance down at the sonogram, and think that he should be somewhere else. 

“Here’s the thing, Jim,” Wallace said, going into CEO mode. “I think you’re a very promising young man. You’re a great salesman, a good guy, very impressionable. I do think you’re a fantastic candidate for this job but I have to ask, you were very hesitant about even making an appointment, what was it that was making you hesitant?”

“Oh, I-uh,” Jim shifted uncomfortably. He figured he could make up some sort of excuse but he didn’t feel like making excuses anymore. “I’m going to have a baby.” Wallace gave him a confused look for probably more than one reason. “I’m not literally going to have a baby, my girlfriend is and I’m still adjusting to that situation.”

“Oh,” Wallace still didn’t look like he knew how to respond. “Well, congratulations, fatherhood is an incredibly rewarding experience. When is she due?”

“Last week,” Jim admitted to Wallace’s surprise. “And I guess I decided to take the interview because I knew it would be a great opportunity now that I’m going to have a family I just-- I guess—I never really saw this as where my life was headed.”

Wallace frowned. “Oh, I see. We often have to adapt to unexpected life changes all the time and I can understand that may throw our plans off course. So, let me ask you this, then…do you know where you want your life to be headed?”

Jim sat quietly, staring at the sonogram. Wallace had, indeed, hit upon the right question. Where was his life headed…

\--

…Yesterday…

They parted, the kiss leaving him slightly breathless and dizzy. He kept her close, his embrace still tight, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you,” he said, never meaning the words more in his life. 

“I know,” she said with a slight smile. She ran her fingers through his hair. 

“I wasn’t going to come to Scranton, because like you, I was too afraid of living…of life…of whatever…” he told her. “And even when I did come to Scranton, I still was hiding. But, Pam, your confidence is so inspiring. It’s like it’s okay, now, to be me because you actually like me, imperfections and all. So, if I try and fail, I’ll have you to hold on to. I used to think, no matter how close I got to someone, that I was on my own. But I don't think that anymore. And, I think you’re right, this is it. This is life. So, whatever road lies ahead, I want to experience it with you. I’m all in if you are.”

“I am,” she assured him. “You know I am.”

“Alright then,” he said, letting out a laugh of relief. “It’s you and me. You, me and this baby. I have no idea where we’re going but I’m glad you’re with me.”

“I’m always going to be with you,” she whispered. “Doesn’t really matter where we’re going.” And without any hesitation, she pulled him down for another deep kiss. 

\--

By the time Michael returned to the office, Pam’s contractions were coming six minutes apart and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold off. While the entire office was doing its best to help her stay distracted, she was having a harder and harder time ignoring the contractions.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked coming into the conference room, a little in wonder at the sight of Dwight playing his recorder while Meredith and Creed sang. 

“We’re trying to distract Pam from having a baby,” Kevin explained.

Michael’s eyes went wide. “You’re having the baby without me?”

Pam wasn’t really in the mood. “Sorry, Michael, with my next child, I’ll tell it to wait until you’re at my side.” She felt another contraction coming and squirmed in her seat, closing her eyes, hoping that it wouldn’t last long.”

Michael ran to her, extremely excited. “Well, Pamela, it’s a good thing that I decided to turn down that corporate job because now I can be here for you. And the baby. So, we are going to take a little trip to the hospital, okay?”

“No, I’m not going,” she yelled. “I’m not ready to do this.” She had been reassured countless of times that she would be okay, that even though labor was rough, she was strong enough to do it. Even knowing that Meredith produced two kids made her more confident in her own abilities. But now that she was there, now that the reality of actually having a baby was sinking in, she felt incredibly scared. 

Michael sat next to her and rested a hand on her arm. There was something unusually kind about his demeanor, as if he sincerely cared about her. “It’s okay, Pam, I can understand that you’re scared to have a baby. But I guarantee that every single person in this room knows that you can do it. Think about how many times you’ve helped me out. Remember when I burned my foot and I was scared that they were going to cut it off? You told me I was going to be fine.”

“I don’t really think this is the same thing,” Pam pointed out. 

“Alright, okay,” Michael said calmly, even though Pam knew he didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing. “If you’re not ready, we can help ease the situation a little. Dwight, Andy, go on the internet and see if you can find ways to induce labor, we’ll do whatever the opposite of those are. Ryan, go find some soothing music to calm her down. Kevin, use my blackberry to find soothing images of babies being born. Phyllis, Kelly, find some pillows and blankets. If the baby is going to be born here, we have to make Pam as comfortable as possible.”

Pam began shaking her head frantically. “No, no, Michael I am not having my baby here.”

“Well, it was conceived here, right? Why not have it be born here?” Michael asked.

“Michael, Jim wasn’t even—“ She decided that logic was usually lost on Michael. “No, Michael, I think you’re right, maybe I should be going to the hospital.” 

“Pam, don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine,” Michael assured her. “I mean, this is a fantastic day. I don’t have to move to New York, Jan moved in with me, and now you’re having your baby. So, don’t worry about a thing. Everything is totally—“

“Oh, my god,” Pam gasped. It felt as though a waterballoon had popped inside her and she felt a liquid seeping onto her underwear, sticking to her thighs. “I think my water just broke.”

\--

Jim made it back to Scranton in record time. For a drive that took almost three he was able to make it in a little over two. He had tried calling her when he left corporate but he hadn’t gotten an answer. No one picked up when he tried calling the office either, so he knew something was up and he did what he could to get home.

The whole way home, when he wasn’t worrying about Pam, he was thinking about the job offer and how he had turned it down. It had been a good opportunity and maybe a better choice for down the line. But he was about to have a baby, have family and the only thing that truly mattered to him was them. They had a good life in Scranton, and maybe, someday, when he realized what passion he’d truly like to pursue, he’d follow that dream but until then, he was happy where he was and as long as he had Pam and the baby, he didn’t need anything else.

When he arrived at the business park, he hurried in at a frantic pace and when he opened the door he was relieved to see that she was there, standing at reception as if she were waiting for him. The rest of the office was swarming around but he didn’t care to ask what was going on. The whole world could be crumbling down around them but as long as she was there, nothing else mattered. He approached her quickly, purposefully, wanting to let her know that the pact they made the previous night was indeed a sealed deal. Without a word, he cupped her face and kissed her passionately.

When they broke apart, she looked a little dazed. “Hey,” she said, her eyes a little dreamy, her faced a little flushed. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at them. 

“Hi,” he said, a broad grin. 

“You have no idea how glad I am you’re back,” she said, almost laughing. Then, she gripped his hand, squeezing so hard that hurt, as she doubled over in pain. 

“Oh, my god, Pam,” Jim said. He was stunned, shocked, amazed, overjoyed, a little bit of everything all rolled into one. “Are you—are you—“

“We’re having a baby,” she said happily, though he could tell that she was just as nervous and anxious as he was. “Michael was just getting ready to take me to the hospital. It’s time.”

“We’re having a baby,” he repeated as if it was just sinking in. He noticed that she had her jacket on and her go-bag at her side. “We’re really doing this now.”

Pam nodded frantically. “We’re doing this now.”

“Come on, people!” Dwight yelled, breaking their moment. “Let’s save sentiment for afterwards. We’ve got a baby to deliver. Let’s get going.”

Jim and Pam both began to laugh. The craziness began to stir up once again around them. Jim placed one arm around her shoulders while grabbing onto their go-bag with the other.

“Oh, wait,” Pam said, stopping just as they were headed out. “How’d your interview go?”

Jim grinned. “Doesn’t matter,” he told her. “I’m where I belong now.”

\--

…22 hours later…

She was incredible. Their baby daughter was the most amazing thing that she had ever seen. 

Pam sat on the hospital bed, Jim cuddled up beside her, holding their new baby girl. Labor and been as painful and as exhausting as everyone said it would be but it was worth it to have her healthy baby sleeping soundly in her arms. Ever since the nurse had cleaned her up and handed her over to Pam, neither of them could take their eyes off her. 

“She’s so beautiful,” Jim said, gently caressing the baby’s cheek. “I’m just blown away at how beautiful she is. I mean her picture didn’t do her much justice at all.”

Pam let out a laugh. “Did you ever think it was possible to love something so much?” she asked. 

“Never.”

They continued to just gaze at her, neither able to pull away, as if they may miss something if they did. 

“I can’t believe you passed out,” Pam teased after a moment.

“Yeah, well, have you actually seen—“ he stopped to rethink his words. “Nevermind. You were amazing, Pam. Just amazing.”

She looked up at him adoringly. “I love you,” she said softly. 

“I love you, too.” He leaned over to give her a sweet, tender kiss. “So, have we decided on a name yet? Want me to get your notebook?”

Pam shook her head. “No, I think I know what it should be. When I was a little girl, there was this book that I loved, it was about a little girl who lived in this dream house with a terrace where she used to plant flowers. And she was just the happiest little girl and it really stuck with me. Her name was Cecelia. And, I don’t know, I always thought that was such a pretty name.”

“Cecelia,” Jim repeated with a smile. “I like it. We can call her Cece for short. Let’s see if she likes it.” He began talking directly to the baby. “Hey there, baby, do you like the name Cecelia? It’s a really beautiful name for such a beautiful girl. And I know your mom would be really touched if you accepted it, so what do you say?”

As if directly replying, the baby opened her eyes, looking directly at her parents for a moment, as if to confirm that she was quite alright with that name, before she drifted back to sleep again. 

“Well,” Jim said, satisfied. “I think we’ve got a name.”

“Hey, Cecelia,” Pam said, rocking her gently. “Welcome to the world. It’s a little crazy here but I think you’re going to love it.”

\--

“I can’t believe you have a kid,” Isabelle commented a few hours later. She was holding Cecelia in her arms, looking wonderingly at the little creature, while Pam relaxed in the hospital bed. Jim was asleep beside her. “You’re, like, someone’s mom now.”

“You’ve known this for nine months,” Pam said with a laugh. “And now it hits you?”

Isabelle smiled at her friend. “Yeah, I know, but it doesn’t really register until you see the thing, does it. So, do you remember nine months ago when you came to me completely terrified because you were pregnant and you had no idea what you were doing?”

Pam raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, I still don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, but you’re not nearly so scared now, are you?” Isabelle noted how Pam, despite how tired she was, absolutely glowed. She was no longer the timid, held back girl she grew up with. Pam had changed and for the better. Isabelle had never been more proud of her friend. 

“Well, yeah,” Pam responded thinking about it. “But maybe in a different way. Like, how am I going to pay for her college scared or I hope some stranger doesn’t kidnap her scared. But being an actual parent? I think I’m okay with that now.”

“Well that’s good,” Isabelle replied looking back down at Cecelia. “She really is the cutest little thing. I can’t get over how much she looks like the both of you.”

“I know!” Pam exclaimed. “Isn’t that weird?”

Isabelle laughed. “No, Pam, it’s called genetics.”

“Hey, Is,” Pam started, playing with the edge of the blanket. “I just wanted to say thank you, for everything. I really couldn’t have done so much of this without you. You are the best friend a person can have.”

“Thank you,” Isabelle replied, sincerely touched. “But, I think it’s time I revoke the best friend title.”

Pam looked at her confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t think I’m your best friend anymore,” Isabelle said nodding at Jim, who was curled up, sleeping like a baby himself. “But I’m okay with that. It was bound to happen sometime.”

Isabelle remembered when Pam used to blush any time Jim was mentioned but she could tell her friend was past that awkward stage. Instead of getting flustered, she looked down at Jim fondly. “Oh, right,” she said with a slight laugh. “Yeah, he’s—“ her voice trailed off but Isabelle knew that a million positive adjectives were running through Pam’s head. “I really couldn’t have done it without him, either.”

“So…?” Isabelle nodded between the baby, Jim and Pam. 

Pam seemed to understand completely. “I love him,” she said without any hesitation. “And he loves me. And we’re going to take it one day at a time. But yeah, Is, you were right like you always are. He’s the one.”

Isabelle noticed that Jim might not have been as fully asleep as she thought since she swore she saw a hint of a smile grow on his face. “So, can I come to the wedding? Oohh, can I be the maid of honor? I know Penny’s got dibs, but come on. Who’s been more involved?”

Pam laughed as she rolled her eyes. “You are just as bad as my coworker, Kelly.”

“Oh, hey, speaking of coworkers, I thought I saw your boss outside,” Isabelle said. “I think he said something about getting more balloons?”

“Yeah, we told him to get some more,” Pam replied shaking his head. “Anything to get him out of here for a while. You know that he thinks he’s part of the family now?”

“Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Isabelle answered, carefully walking to Pam, so she could hand the baby back.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Pam said as she took her daughter. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Yesterday, we asked Dwight to go get my iPod,” Pam explained. “No one has seen him since. Can you stop by my house and make sure he hasn’t destroyed it or something.”

“Oohh, do something involving Dwight? Absolutely,” Isabelle responded with a devilish grin on her face. “I hope he’s still there.”

\--

…3 days later…

Jim was holding his crying daughter in his arms, attempting to calm her down. They had brought her home the night before, and while in the hospital Cecelia had been just fine, their first night nothing they tried to do would stop her from crying. They had fed her, changed her, burped her, rocked her, talked to her, put a blanket around in case she was cold, then took it off when they thought she was too hot. Occasionally, just from being so worn out from crying, she’d stop but then, when she gained her energy back she would start wailing again. They then resorted to the books they had bought on parenting but still nothing seemed to work.

They had been taking turns all night with her. Pam was in the bedroom, attempting to sleep, while Jim was in the living room, watching the sunrise and wishing he could figure out something to get her to sleep. He turned on the TV but the baby’s screams cried out over the voices, so he shut it off. He then tried the radio, which was set to a classic rock station and as soon as Elton John’s soothing voice belted through the speakers, Cecelia finally began to calm down. Realizing what he had stumbled upon, Jim kept the radio on and sang to his daughter as he rocked her to sleep.

Pam came out of the bedroom, looking groggy and unkempt. “What’s going on?” she asked as if she wasn’t sure she comprehended what she saw.

Jim held a finger up to his lips. “I think I found something she likes,” Jim said in barely a whisper.

Pam’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my god, is she—“ her voice trailed off as she came up to Jim and the now sleeping baby. 

Elton John faded away into the Rolling Stones and they both held their breath, hoping that Cecelia would stay asleep. They never felt so relieved when she did. As carefully as they could, they place Cecelia in her crib, keeping the radio on just in case. They stayed beside her crib, watching her sleep.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Jim said after a moment. He knew they should probably be trying to get some sleep themselves but he wanted to stay next to her as long as possible. 

“Me either,” Pam agreed. “Do you think we’re bad parents? I mean, it took us twelve hours to get our baby to go to sleep.” She looked up at him unsure.

Jim shook his head vehemently. “I think we have no idea what we’re doing. And, you know, if we completely screw up this one, we can always have another one and try again.”

Pam let out a laugh. “I can’t believe how peaceful she looks when she sleeps. She was an exhausting little baby last night and yet, I look at her now, and know that we have a long road ahead of us but I still love her more than anything.”

“She’s our daughter,” Jim said simply. “I don’t think that feeling is going to change.”

Cecelia twitched a little, yawned, but remained asleep.

“Can you believe we actually created her?” Pam asked after a moment. 

“No, that fact still astounds me,” Jim replied. “I can still barely make grilled cheese and yet, I’ve managed to help create a little person.”

“Pretty amazing, huh,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling into his chest. “Hey, Jim?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Jim wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight, then gave her a long kiss on the top of her head. His life, flaws and all, was absolutely perfect.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is now complete. Thank you so much those of you who read!

…September…

Jim awoke with a start to the sound of thunder. The digital clock on the stereo read that it was quarter to six in the morning and he had dozed off on the couch while watching the World Poker Tour on ESPN2. Cece was just starting to sleep through the night, but occasionally, she still woke up in the middle of the night. When she started fussing around four, Pam prodded him to get her. Despite mumbling protests, Jim arose to get his daughter. Eventually, she had fallen asleep, curled up on his chest but by then Jim was awake and turned on the TV for something to do. He didn’t even remember dozing off again until the storm rolled in. 

Cece was, thankfully, still asleep and Jim took a moment to study his child. She was quite animated when awake, full of life and curious but when she was asleep, she looked completely innocent and peaceful and the way she was curled up to him remind him a lot of the way Pam looked when she was sleeping. Most days were routine, taking care of Cece, going to work, coming home and being a family but moments like this, where he just watched as Cece slowly breathed, her chest slowly rising and falling, he was still amazed that he had created a little person. He never thought it was possible to love something so much and he felt lucky that he happened to have two girls in his life to love and who loved him back.

After a few minutes of just studying his amazing daughter, he decided he should put her down so he could get some sleep. He turned off the TV and with one protective hand on Cece’s back, got up to take her back to her crib. As he passed the main bedroom, he caught a glimpse of Pam sleeping, curled up on her side. His breath caught as he noticed the sheet had fallen, exposing the naked skin of her back down to the curve of her hip. An image of the previous night, one of her naked and beautiful, trickled into this mind. They had made unhurried loved that night, her riding him slowly, bringing him to orgasm in the sweet and torturous way that only she knew how. He felt the familiar twitch in his boxers but more so, he felt a warmth spreading in his heart. 

Man, he loved that girl, he thought. 

His eyes shifted to the calendar above the nightstand and he noted the date. “You know what today is?” he asked quietly to his sleeping daughter. “One year ago, today, I met your mom. I guess that means that one year ago, you came into existence, too.” He rubbed Cece’s back affectionately, as everything that happened to him over the past year, all the changes that had come to his life really began to sink in. “You know what,” he continued to whisper, the realization of what he was finally going to do settling in. “What do you say to us becoming an official family, Cece?” The baby stirred slightly and Jim took it as confirmation. “Alright, but I’m going to need some help.”

He walked over to the dresser he shared with Pam and dug through his sock drawer, which was also filled with an abundance of other junk. But buried underneath the mismatched socks, the knick-knacks, and the bag of nickels that Jim had planned on using for a prank on Dwight, was a small, black jewelry box that Jim had had for quite some time. He opened up and stared at the simple, yet elegant ring that he had bought for Pam. As soon as he made the decision in his mind, he felt a sudden rush of nervousness. It wasn’t that he was afraid that she was going to say no if he asked, he knew she would, just the fact that he was actually going to go through with such a big step freaked him out slightly. 

Holy crap, he thought as the ring mesmerized him. I’m really going to do this. I’m really going to propose.

An idea began to form and he took Cece back to her room, placing the sleeping baby in her crib. He then nestled the box with the ring beside her. “Can you keep this safe for me?” he asked. Cece made no movement but she didn’t have to. Jim leaned down and gave the baby girl a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll give this to mommy when the time is right, okay?”

He then silently made his way back to the bedroom and carefully lay down on the bed next to her. He spooned her, shifting carefully so not to wake her and leaned over, watching her sleep soundly, peacefully. He admired how even the old street lamp in the gray light of the stormy morning still seemed to illuminate her, creating a wonderful glow. She was so gorgeous that he could hardly believe that she was there next to him. He traced his fingers up her bare arm and down to again, reveling in the feel of her soft skin. Some of her light curls had fallen over her cheek so he gently tucked them behind her ear and continued to trace his finger along her jawbone up to her chin. 

Unexpectedly, she jolted awake and began screaming. 

“Get it off me, get it off me,” she panicked, thrashing about, trying to brush whatever she thought was crawling on her off. As she sat up, the sheet fell, revealing her perfect breasts.

“Morning,” he said, trying hard not to laugh too much, amused at how panicked she looked. 

“Is it still on the bed,” she cried, looking frantically around her.

“Nothing on this bed but you and me,” he assured her.

“Oh,” she said, relaxing a little. She blushed, feeling embarrassed about how she had woken up. “I thought a bug or something was crawling on me,” she said sheepishly. He found her absolutely adorable.

He grinned at her. “Nope, that was just me.”

She let out a laugh and curled up against him, snuggling close. “Hi,” she said brightly, her green eyes giving Jim an adoring look. He held her close. She felt comfortable in his arms. Felt right. He hoped to have her wake up that way for the rest of his life.

“Hey,” he replied, not hesitating to lean down and give her a deep kiss. “Did you sleep alright?” he asked, brushing a few strands of hair off her forehead.

“Yeah,” she replied warmly. “Is Cece asleep?” 

He began to kiss her again. “Just put her down.” He told her between kisses.

“What time is it?” she asked. As she stretched her head back to look at the clock, he began to work his way down her neck. “You know, sane people aren’t up this early on a Saturday,” she said breathlessly.

He paused, giving her a devilish grin. “If you’d really rather sleep…” he said playfully, slightly pulling away from her.

Her thigh purposely brushed against him, finding him ready for her. She grinned. “Come here, we’ll sleep later,” she said, pulling him close to kiss him. 

God, he really loved her.

\--

Pam sat at the art desk that was set up against the window of the living room. She had been drawing most of the morning while Jim and Cece slept. She cherished those rare moments of quietness, when she could be alone with her thoughts, sipping coffee while delving into her creativity. Since becoming a working mother, her art has been pushed to the side but Jim encouraged her to keep it up and occasionally would even take Cece for the evening so that she would have a chance to work on her art without distractions. Jim had even suggested that she take more than a class or two at the Community College but Pam had told him that even if finances and time weren’t a factor, she wasn’t sure she would. She loved art but she loved her family and her life more. 

Currently, she was working on her gift for Jim’s birthday next month, enjoying the soft patter of rain on the window as she colored. It was a comic book, starring Jim as a super hero. When the idea had struck her the week before, she knew it would be the perfect gift and stole a few hours here and there to work on it. 

She took a break for a moment, placing her colored pencil down and stretched, letting out a big yawn. Her eyes drifted to the wall, where Jim had placed the framed drawing she had given him last Christmas. When she asked him why he didn’t put it in his own apartment, he said she needed it as a reminder of how wonderful an artist she was. Plus, he had added, he would never get to see it at his own place since he was rarely ever there. 

She leaned back in her chair and thought about how use to it she was that Jim was always around. Life before him was beginning to become a faded memory, the pain of being alone nearly a forgotten thought and the empty existence with Roy felt like a lifetime ago. Sure, she and Jim had their fair share of disagreements and there were tiny things that bugged her about him, but she wouldn’t trade those imperfections for anything. She was happy, truly happy for the first time in her life. 

Twenty minutes later, Jim joined her in the living room, promptly sitting down on the couch and flipping on the TV to watch the college football pregames. Not wanting Jim to see what she was working on, she quickly finished the panel she had started and tucked it away in the art table cubby. She swiveled around in her chair and took a moment to take him in. 

God, he was so hot, she thought.

He no longer made her nervous, in that exciting new relationship way that he used to, but every once in while, she still got the butterfly feeling in her stomach. As if he knew she was staring, he turned and gave her a smirk, the one that always made her melt a little. That particular look always reminded her of that night when she returned to the hotel room. She even thought it was interesting, and wondered if it was intentional because Jim was a sentimental guy, that he was wearing the same white cotton shirt and black boxers as that night. She gave him a smirk back that let him know that she knew the date.

She got up out of her chair and walked towards him, loving that there was a slightly lustful look in his eyes. She was wearing an old, ratty t-shirt and a pair of his plaid boxers, her hair tied in a lose pony tail that hung over her shoulder but that was all it took for him to get that look. She straddled his legs and scooted up on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Hey,” she said, a tad of sensuality in her voice. “Nice to see you finally up.”

He grinned again. “Well, I had a long morning.”

“It was certainly…passionate,” she commented before leaning down to give him a soft kiss. 

He gave a playful shrug. “Just one of those days.” 

She began to kiss him again, slowly, lazily. They had nowhere to be until the evening, plenty of time to take it easy, to enjoy each other. Jim’s hands made her way under her shirt, massaging the sides of her waist before moving farther south, dipping into the boxers. When his hands came to her bare hips, he pulled back in surprise.

“No panties?” 

“Just one of those days,” she returned with a flirty smile. She reveled in the groan he elicited when she began to kiss him again. 

After a moment, Cece’s whimpers could be heard over the baby monitor. Pam shifted back reluctantly, the roles of girlfriend and boyfriend having to be put on hold for the roles of mommy and daddy. Boyfriend and girlfriend, she thought, no they were definitely more than that. 

“Sounds like someone else is now awake,” Jim commented, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

“Yeah, you want to go get her?” Pam said with a half smile.

Jim held up his hands. “Oh, no, I was up with her in the middle of the morning, it’s your turn.”

“Yeah, but who locked her in the car yesterday?” Pam teased. “Oh yeah, that would be you.”

“Hey,” Jim said in mock defense. “She was fine, believe me. She was having a grand old time watching daddy freak out and she was only in the car alone for, like, five minutes. Besides, your house, your kid.”

“Oh, that’s how you’re gonna play it, huh?” Pam joked back, though she found it unusual for Jim to be this stubborn about taking care of Cece. “Maybe we should just spend more time at your place and then I won’t have to lift a finger.”

Jim’s face grew serious and for a second, she thought she had said something wrong. “Move in with me,” he said simply, taking her by surprise. 

“What?” her heart began to race as he stared intensely at her. 

“I practically live here anyway,” Jim explained. “My apartment, more or less, is just one expensive storage unit. Think about how much money we’d be saving by not having that extra expense. We could save to have an actual house.”

“Jim…” she said nervously, looking down. “You know how I feel…” her voice trailed off. This was not the first time they had this conversation and she had told him plainly that she’d move in with him once they were engaged. However, she was more than ready to take that next step. 

Cece grew louder on the monitor. “You should go get her,” Jim said, nodding in the direction of the baby’s room. 

“She’s fine,” Pam insisted. “If she starts getting fussy…”

“I really think you should go get her,” Jim repeated, his lips going into a half smile. 

Something was up. “Okay, but we’re not tabling this conversation,” Pam said as she slid off his lap. 

“Okay…”

She now knew that something was up. As she walked down the hallway, she threw one quick glance in his direction, noticing that he was now smirking, his eyebrows arched, his eyes mischievous. 

Oh, my god, he’s going to propose, she thought, a giddiness flowing through her as she walked. She then shook her head, thinking that she just wanted him to propose. But she knew he would, hoped he would, at some point. Why not now? No, she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

Cece was making happy, giggling noises when Pam entered the room. “What are you up to, baby?” she asked as she approached the crib. She tickled Cece’s tummy and the baby laughed, her face lighting up when she saw her mama. She thought it was adorable how much Cece look liked her daddy when she smiled. “I know your daddy put you up to something, I just don’t know what—“ 

Her breath caught when she saw the small box Cece was gripping onto. The little girl waved her arms in the air wildly, as if she knew exactly what was going on. Just as Cece was about to stick the box in her mouth, Pam pried the box from the baby’s small fingers, her heart beginning to race when she realized what it was. 

“Oh, my god,” she said completely frozen in shock. Cece began to whimper now that her new toy had been taken away. “Just a sec, sweetheart,” Pam managed to say. When she opened the box, however, it was empty and her heart dropped instantly. “If this is one of your daddy’s pranks, Cece—“ she threatened, feeling incredibly disappointed. “When he really asks, I’m gonna say—“

“I didn’t think I should leave the ring in the box,” Jim was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed. “I worried that she might have opened the box and would somehow swallow the ring. I realize that her motor skills might not be that advanced yet, but you know how parents worry.”

Pam put a hand to her lips, so many emotions going through her as Jim approached.

“I kept waiting for the perfect moment to do this but this morning when I saw you asleep I just—I couldn’t wait any longer,” he took a deep breath as he knelt on one knee. “Pam?” he grasped onto her trembling hand. “Will you marry me?” Jim held out his other hand, revealing the ring he had bought her. 

She nodded slowly, feeling the tears well in her eyes. “Yes,” she managed to get out. 

Jim let out a breath of relief before jumping to his feet, grabbing her in his arms and kissing her deeply. “I love you so much,” he said as he placed on ring on her finger.

“I love you, too.”

Cece let out a wail, as if not liking that she wasn’t involved. 

“Come here, baby,” Pam said as she wiped the tears off her face. She reached in the crib and pulled Cece to her. Cece immediately snuggled into her and Pam kissed her on the forehead. Jim wrapped his arms around the both of them. “I don’t know what you were talking about,” Pam said as Jim cradled them. “This is perfect.”

\--

“So, that’s it,” Jim said as he hung up the phone. “I think that’s everyone now.” They had spent the early afternoon calling their relatives, excited to share their happy news.

“Everyone but our coworkers,” Pam informed him. She was sitting at the kitchen table, feeding Cece the rest of her bottle. “But we can tell them tonight.” 

“Do we have to tell them?” Jim asked, knowing how they reacted to everything else in their lives and worrying that they might ruin the moment.

“I’d like to,” Pam said. Jim loved that she was just as giddy as he was over the engagement. “I want everyone to know.”

“Alright, we can tell them,” Jim easily gave in. “So, you didn’t want to table the moving in discussion…”

“Yes, I’ll move in with you,” Pam replied automatically. “But I’m not moving to your parents place in Connecticut. I don’t care how cheap they’re selling it for.”

“The clown painting?” he asked with a laugh.

“Yeah, it’s creepy,” Pam told him. Cece had finished her bottle so Pam had repositioned the baby to her shoulder for burping. “But yeah, we should definitely start looking for a place. And, I was thinking, how would you feel about a destination wedding? Some place romantic and cozy where none of our coworkers can bug us. Maybe Niagara Falls? I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jim agreed, thinking it over. “Or how bout Australia? Then no one would bother us at all.”

She let out a laugh. “Or we could do it for free at Schrute Farms,” she suggested jokingly.

Jim cringed. “Yeah, Dwight will not be involved in our wedding. You know, we could always elope.” Even though it had been meant as a joke, she looked at him seriously, as if that were an actual option. And while he would be more that willing to go along with the idea, he knew deep down, they both would want family there. “Or,” he continued. “We could wait a really, really long time. Like years.”

Pam rolled her eyes at him but he knew that she would take it only as a joke. They were at a place in their relationship where they could laugh at their history. “You bug me,” she said playfully.

“You love me,” he said smiling broadly.

At that moment, Cece had spit up, only she had missed the cloth Pam had on her shoulder and got it all over her shirt. “That’s okay, Cece,” she said soothingly as she began to clean her daughter and herself up with the cloth. “I needed a shower anyway. I’m going to hand you off to Daddy so he can change you and put you down for your nap.”

“Come here, kid,” Jim said, taking Cece from Pam. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” It wasn’t long before Cece was changed and in her crib, falling asleep as she played with her toys.

Jim could hear the shower starting and headed straight for the bathroom, just in time to watch as Pam, whose back was turned to him, undressed. His gaze became lustful as she slowly revealed the swell of her breasts, the lush curve of her hips, the glow of her naked skin. He wanted her. He had had her twice already in the last twenty-four hours but, god, did he want her again.

Not able to help himself, he came up behind her, snaked his arms around her, and rested his hands gently on her breasts. “Whoops, I tripped.” he said playfully into her ear. “Thanks for breaking my fall.”

She craned her head around, giving him a glare but smiling as she did so. “What are you, twelve?” 

“Oh, god,” he said in mock horror. “I was going for at least sixteen.”

She may have given him the stink eye, but she wouldn’t have stood there, arching into his palms, letting him play with her, if she didn’t want to be a willing participant. He bent down to nuzzle her neck, nipping and kissing it, making a trail down to her shoulder while his hands left her breasts, brushing down her sides to rest on her bare hips. 

“So,” she gasped, closing her eyes, tilting her head back to allow him more access as she pushed her body into him. She drew a hand in-between them and began to stroke him through his boxers. “Are you going to join me or what?”

Not even ten minutes later, Jim had her back up against the wall of the shower, his right hand hitching her thigh in the air as he thrust slowly into her, the warm water of the shower beating down on them. His knees were slightly bent, due to their height difference. It had quickly become one of their favorite positions since showers had become one of the most convenient times to enjoy each other. 

Soon, Pam ran her hands across his chest, over the tight muscles in his arms, stomach and down his back, cupping his behind, urging him deeper inside her. With his free hand, he squeezed her breast, flicking her nipple with his thumb while he kissed her deeply, passionately, tangling his tongue with hers. The leg that was supporting her began to shake as she moaned into the kiss. He began to thrust a little faster, holding her thigh up higher, allowing him to push farther into her. 

“Oh god oh god,” he moaned, reveling in how wonderful she felt around him. He parted from her slightly, allowing enough room for him to bring his hand between them, slowly rubbing her where he knew she enjoyed it the most. He then began to accelerate his hips and his fingers, causing her to cry out as she clung to him, holding him close, nearly every inch of their bodies touching. He felt that she was close but then so was he. 

He began to rub harder, thrust faster, and soon he felt her clench around him, calling his name as she bucked wildly, riding out her orgasm. He felt his release approaching and lifted a hand to latch on to her breast as he groaned into her neck, his erection throbbing inside her. He crashed his lips against hers, pumping into her hard until he finally went over the edge, spilling inside her.

“Oh god,” he murmured into her mouth as he rocked steadily inside her, slowly coming down from the peak. He kept her close for a moment, savoring the feel of her before he pulled out of her, lowering her leg to the floor. She cupped his face, lovingly, tenderly, and brought him in for a sweet kiss. 

“I think,” Pam said, bringing his forehead to rest on hers. They both needed a moment to catch their breath. “I think whatever place we find, it needs to have a large shower.”

“Agreed.”

\--

“So, are you sure Cece is going to be alright with Isabelle tonight?” Jim asked from the bedroom. 

Pam was in the bathroom putting on the periwinkle dress she had worn to a cousin’s wedding. She hadn’t worn it since then but was glad to see, when she examined herself in her mirror, that she was still able to fit into after the pregnancy. 

“She’ll be fine, don’t worry about it,” Pam called out to him. “She’s good with kids.”

“She also has a thing for Dwight,” Jim pointed out.

“It’ll be fine,” she said as began to finish her hair, pulling a portion of it back and using a hair tie to keep it up. “And we can always call every twenty minutes to make sure she’s okay.” It was the first time that they were leaving Cece alone with someone who wasn’t Pam’s mom or a day care worker, which made them both a little nervous, despite Pam’s confidence in Isabelle.

“Right, because that won’t make us obsessive parents,” Jim replied. 

That night was the Dundies. Not just the regular awards show that Michael had put on every year but a special one. Michael’s last one. And he had invited everyone out to a fancy dinner at a high priced restaurant to celebrate. Since Jim and Pam had never gone out on an actual dress-up date, they decided to take the opportunity to do so, hiring Isabelle to watch Cece so they could have the night to themselves. 

“So, don’t you think it’s weird that Michael is leaving?” Pam asked. Her hair was finished and she was working on her make-up. 

“Um, I don’t know,” Jim replied. She could hear him roaming around the bedroom, getting ready himself. “I mean, you know, he seemed like the type that was always going to high-tail it to another state for some get rich scheme.”

“Oh, really?” Pam asked as she applied her lipstick. “I figured he always stay at Dunder-Mifflin. It was his home. I figured one day he’d get so old that we’d find him dead in his chair. You know, now that he’s leaving, maybe you could go for the manager position.”

There was a pause before Jim spoke again and Pam knew he was thinking the prospect over. “I don’t know, Pam, I think my Assistant Regional Manager duties are more than enough.”

“You mean, Assistant to the Regional Manager?” she teased. 

“Funny. I don’t know, maybe,” Jim answered. Financially they were doing alright, so there was no need for Jim to take the position and Pam knew him well enough not to press the subject. When he found something he wanted to do, she knew he’d go for it. And she’d be there to support him. “You have to promise me that you’ll keep on your art then,” he added.

She smiled to herself. She knew he would never give up on her, even if she ever gave up on herself. “Alright, alright, I promise.”

Having finished, Pam left the bathroom. Jim was just outside the door and his eyes widened a little, a complete stunned look on his face.

“Wow, Pam,” he was staring at her, looking at her up and down, taking her in. She felt a warm rush flow through her. “You look…so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking a moment to marvel at how handsome he looked in his tux. “You’re looking rather classy yourself.” She pretended to straighten his bowtie.

“Well, that’s because I’m a classy guy,” he said, wrapping his arms around her, not hesitating to dip down and give her a long, lingering kiss. 

When they parted, her eyes remained lovingly on him. “You’re gonna want to wipe that lipstick off before you leave,” she said, gently cupping his chin and running her thumb over his bottom lip.

He let out a laugh. “So, while you were in there for so long getting ready, I worked up a surprise for you.”

“What’s that?” she asked curiously.

He grabbed her hand and led her out to the living room, over where the stereo rested on the top of a bookshelf. “Remember that dinner party we had with Michael and Jan last week?” She nodded, thinking that she would never be able to get fully erase the trauma of that night. He gave her a smirk. “Well, I was bad. I stole something from Jan. And in honor of this being our anniversary of…well…that one night, I thought it would be appropriate to finally share. This one’s for you, babe.”

He held up a CD case that had been resting beside the stereo. She burst out laughing when she saw that it was the album Jan’s old assistant, Hunter, had put out. “I cannot believe you stole that,” she said.

“Oh, believe it,” he said as he pushed play on the stereo, the sound of the guitar strumming the opening chords filling the room. He held out his hand to her and she took it, he immediately twirling her around as the song went into the opening verse.

“You took me by the hand...” he began singing, his voice straining higher to match the vocals on the CD. Pam found it so hilarious that she couldn’t stop laughing as he proceeded to dance with her. 

“Oh, my god…”

“Made me a man…”

“You’re such a dork.”

“That one night…”

“One night…”

”You made everything alright…”

“OO-oo-oooo…”

They both burst out laughing when Pam joined in with back-up vocals. The song was absolutely perfect, she thought as the continued their fun, laughing and singing, while they held each other close. 

“That one night…”

\--

Their night had ended much earlier than expected. Isabelle had arrived at the restaurant, a screaming Cece in tow. Once Pam was able to calm her down, Isabelle had told them they could enjoy the rest of their evening but the two of them, feeling that they would probably just get another phone call or visit from Isabelle decided to take Cece home. 

They were currently in the back of the car debating what to do about Cece. Every time Jim tried to move her, she would start screaming her head off but if they left her in the car seat, she would settle down. Knowing that it was getting late, they decided to let the baby sleep or else she and they would be up most of the night. 

“Well, so much for our night out,” Jim said settling into the back seat of the car.

“Maybe we just won’t go out together until Cece’s older,” Pam, who was leaning up against the outside of the car, suggested.

“Or maybe we just don’t let Isabelle baby-sit again,” Jim offered.

“Give her a break, she doesn’t have kids,” Pam said, bouncing her foot on the cement. “You would have been the same way before we had Cece.”

Jim let out a little laugh. “True. And I guess we were able to enjoy most of the evening. The Dundies were winding down anyway.” 

“See, a good evening for us, even if it was a little weird,” Pam said. “Like, didn’t you think it was weird that when we announced our engagement, most of our coworkers thought we were already married?”

Jim reached out to hold Pam’s hand, the diamond ring catching in streetlight. “Yeah, what was up with that?” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He gently brushed her knuckles with his thumb before lifting her hand to examine the engagement ring. It fit her perfectly. Even though he had known the answer before asking the question, it was still a thrill to see her where that ring. 

“And, hey,” Pam continued, pointing at the gold statuettes resting against the car seat. “At least we got our Dundies.”

“Right…Tallest in the Office,” Jim said using his free hand to grab his Dundie, looking it over with amusement. “I think I’ll display that next to the Jim Halpert Award I received last year.”

“Hey,” Pam responded matter-of-factly. “That is way better than the MILF award. I can’t believe Michael—“ she shuddered a little.

“Aw, be proud of that,” Jim teased, bringing her hand up for a kiss. “You know you’re always a MILF in my heart.”

“Stop it,” she said turning away, slightly blushing. She tucked her hair behind her ear like she always did when she was slightly nervous. He loved that he still had that affect on her. “You know it’s kinda sad?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject. “This was our last Dundies.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “We could always keep them going, even if Michael isn’t around anymore.”

“True. But it won’t be the same. You know, the night is still young,” she said, looking up at the moon. It had rained all day and only on their drive home had the sky become clear. “I think I have a bottle of Irish Cream we can put in some orange juice. We can still have a little fun.”

“Yes, go get that,” Jim insisted.

When Pam left to get the drinks, Jim once again tried to lift the car seat. As soon as he did, Cece began wailing, so Jim set her down again. Cece, however, was still upset. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Jim said sweetly to his daughter, rubbing her belly. “You’re okay, you’re okay.” Cece’s cries dialed down to a whimper but she still looked upset. Jim, looking for anything to distract her, grabbed his Dundie and held it up for her. “How would you like a shiny, new Dundie?” he asked, talking like a game show host while waving the Dundie up and down. Cece began to laugh, reaching her arms out for the statuette. “Congratulations, Cece, you have just won the cutest baby in the world award. How do you feel about that?” He used the Dundie as a microphone, pointing the top at Cece. She grabbed onto it and tried to pull it towards her mouth. “Apparently, she likes it so much that she would like to eat it…” Jim continued to entertain Cece with the Dundie until Pam returned.

She arrived not long after, hopping on one foot, while she balanced the two glasses and the drinks in her hands. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes wide with amusement as he reached out to grab the drinks from her. 

“I think I’ve got something in my shoe,” she said, using one hand to balance herself against the car, while she took off her shoe and shook it. “What’s that word we made up for that?”

“Um, rock, I believe.”

She playfully swatted at him. “C’mon, I swear came up with a word for that.”

“Yeah, we did,” he responded with a laugh. “It was…rock.”

She shook her head as she climbed into the car, settling on his lap, closing the door behind her. She held the glasses as he poured the drinks. Cece sat next to them, oblivious, as she was too preoccupied with Jim’s Dundie to care what her parents were doing.

“Alright, we need a toast,” Jim said raising his glass.

“How about to the end of an era,” Pam suggested. “Since the Dundies are no more.”

“Or the beginning of an era,” Jim said taking her hand and playing with the ring on her finger. “Since we just got engaged.”

“Or to waiting,” Pam said, growing serious. She brushed one hand through his hair. “Because sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for.”

“Or not waiting,” Jim said nodding at Cece, implying that if they had waited that night, they probably would have never had their little girl. “Seize the moment when you’ve got it.”

“How about just to us,” Pam said. Cece cooed at them. “And Cece,” she added quickly.

Jim grinned. “I’ll drink to that.”

They clinked their glasses together.

\--

Cece had finally fallen asleep and Pam carried her daughter to her crib. “Sleep well, Cece, you had a long day, didn’t you,” Pam said to her, taking a moment to just watch her sleep. She leaned down to give Cece a gentle kiss on the baby’s cheek before covering her with a blanket. “Love you, my baby girl.”

She changed into her pajamas and joined Jim in the living room where he was watching TV.

“What are you watching?” Pam asked as she joined him on the couch.

“This fascinating documentary on the BBC about some office like ours,” Jim explained. “Only they’re in England and have cool accents.”

They watched the documentary for a few minutes both noting how there seemed to be some romantic tension between of the salesman and the receptionist. Pam looked up at Jim, lovingly, playing with her engagement ring as she did so. She was so glad that she and Jim had figured things out. She couldn’t imagine having to go through years of missed cues and wrong assumptions. She didn’t know that should have ever handled that and in truth, she felt lucky that she had gotten pregnant. Not just because she had a wonderful baby girl, but because it had put her and Jim on the right track. Jim, looking as though he was thinking the same thing she was, gave her an adoring glance back before he leaned down to give her a soft, affectionate kiss on the lips. 

“So…do we have anything planned for tomorrow?” Jim asked.

“Hmm, Sunday,” she sat back to think about it for a moment. “Oh, Angela’s cat party is tomorrow,” she said with a laugh. 

“Right,” Jim said, a fair amount of sarcasm in his voice. “Because those always leave me satisfied and smiling.”

“That’s what she said,” Pam returned quickly, a grin on her lips.

They both laughed as Pam snuggled up to Jim, placing her head on his shoulder. He gave her a long kiss on the top of her head before moving his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight. As she closed her eyes, letting fatigue take over her, she thought that it hadn’t been a bad day. Not a bad day at all…

~The End~


End file.
